This Millionaire’s Shortbread is the perfect trifecta: Sweet simple, crisp shortbread, rich chewy, homemade caramel, and thick dark chocolate ganache. ย Sprinkle everything off with a scattering of sea salt and you have a decadently rich treatย that lives up to every penny of its lucrative name.
I don’t think (and I’m sure they’ll correct me if I’m wrong) I’ve ever given my siblings anything really bad to eat.
Sometimes they eat my recipe fails, but only the most edible ones (cupcakes that are just slightly too dense, cookies that are a tad too crumbly), and I never did anything as treacherous as trying to pass off bean brownies for regular brownies, which one of my sisters actually did do to me one time ย (a deception I’ll never forgive).
So it’s slightly insulting to me that, when presented with any dessert that isn’t an obvious cake, cookie, or cupcake, they proceed with severe trepidation. ย Forks hoveringย nervously over their plates, eyes narrowed, skeptical, seeming to suggest — ย It could be an anthrax pie, how can we be sure it’s not?ย So much for gratitude.
But after explaining for the fourth time to my fourth sibling what Millionaire’s shortbread evenย isย (“It’s like a fancy, homemade, gourmet twix bar”)ย not a single one seemed the least bit disappointed when they took their first bite.
There’s nothing to be disappointed about when it comes to Millionaire’s shortbread. ย This is a recipe I’ve been wanting to try my hand at for a while now and after a lot of running around in the kitchen I’m very happy to share it with you.
I don’t think I need to reiterate the fact that it’s a rich dessert — in fact I suggested to my sisters and brother that they cut each giant square into quarters, because while big squares look pretty in these pictures, they’re so rich that it’s a challenge to actually eat a whole one.
The shortbread (a faux shortbread, more on that below) is slightly sweetened but serves as the crispy vehicle to transport chewy caramel and a blanket of chocolate ganache. ย To make things even more decadent, it’s all topped off with a sprinkle of sea salt. ย It’s not called Millionaire’s shortbread for nothing!
As attaining millionaire status can change a person, so it has changed our “shortbread” cookie crust here. ย Surprise, it’s not a “true” shortbread. ย When I decided to give this classic recipe my own spin, this is one of the first changes I made.
Classic shortbread is made of only three ingredients — butter, flour, and sugar, but this is Millionaire’s shortbread so we’re making sure it lives up to its name.
An egg yolk, some brown sugar, and vanilla extract all make this cookie crust extra flavorful, and slightly softer than standard shortbread as well. ย Because of the added ingredients, your finished millionaire’s shortbread will cut more easily than standard shortbread (which usually breaks unevenly with jagged edges and scatters crumbs everywhere) but is still crisp and snappy beneath the soft chocolate and chewy caramel.
Andi liked the cookie layer so much she asked me to make her a pan of just that alone, nothing else.
I really wish that I could photograph the processes for these multi-step recipes — a picture of how the crumbled cookie dough should look, the caramel at its peak just before pouring it over the shortbread, the glossy chocolate ganache, etc… but since I only have two days of the week to shoot 3-4 recipes, I usually have to prepare the food Friday night, and there’s no light to take decent pictures then.
To make up for this, I try to include very detailed descriptions in the recipe, and you can always shoot me an e-mail, leave a comment, or drop by my Facebook page if you have any questions.
That being said, I don’t really think you’ll have any problem with this recipe, the trickiest part is the caramel and it doesn’t even require a candy thermometer!
I hope you enjoy this Millionaire’s shortbread as much as my siblings ultimately did!
Millionaire's Shortbread
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- โ cup (70 g) sugar
- โ cup (70 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg yolk
- ยพ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 2 ยผ cups (260 g) all-purpose flour
Caramel
- 2 14-oz cans (792 g) sweetened condensed milk
- 14 Tablespoons (198 g) unsalted butter cut into Tablespoon-sized pieces
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar packed
- โ cup (80 ml) light corn syrup
- ยพ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache
- 2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- ยฝ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
- sea salt for sprinkling
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (177C) and line a 13x9 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Using an electric mixer, beat butter until well creamed.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.โ cup (70 g) sugar, โ cup (70 g) light brown sugar, packed
- Add egg yolk and vanilla extract and stir well, pausing to scrape down the sides and mixing until ingredients are well-combined.1 large egg yolk, ยพ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add flour, gradually (about ยฝ cup at a time), pausing to scrape down sides of bowl. Halfway through the addition of the flour, sprinkle in the salt with the beater still running. Don't over-beat the dough, you want it to be slightly crumbly to make it easier to press into the pan.ยฝ teaspoon salt, 2 ยผ cups (260 g) all-purpose flour
- Drop dough over prepared pan and gently, firmly, evenly, press dough into the bottom of the pan. To make it easier, I usually lay a piece of wax paper over the dough and use the palm of my hand to smooth the surface (and then discard wax paper).
- Bake on 350F (177C) for 20-25 minutes -- edges should be lightly golden brown.
- Allow to cool while you prepare your caramel topping.
Caramel
- Combine condensed milk, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.2 14-oz cans (792 g) sweetened condensed milk, 14 Tablespoons (198 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, โ cup (80 ml) light corn syrup, ยพ teaspoon salt
- Stir frequently until butter is melted and ingredients are well-combined. Continue to stir constantly until mixture begins to boil (this could take several minutes, but you don't need to increase the heat).
- Once mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer (slowly bubbling), still stirring constantly. ย Continue to stir 10-15 minutes until mixture turns a rich caramel color and has thickened (should begin pulling away from the sides of the pot as you stir). If using a candy thermometer, the caramel should reach 225F (107C)
- Remove from heat and immediately stir in the vanilla extract.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour evenly over prepared shortbread, use a knife to spread evenly if needed.
- Allow to cool at room temperature for several hours or in the refrigerator for 1 hour before topping with chocolate.
Chocolate Topping
- Combine chocolate chips and heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat. ยยฝ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, 2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- Stir frequently until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
- Remove from heat and allow chocolate to cool just slightly for about 5 minutes, and then evenly spread over prepared caramel layer. ย Wait several minutes/until chocolate begins to set and then sprinkle with sea salt. ยsea salt for sprinkling
- Allow chocolate to harden (I recommend placing in refrigerator for about 30 minutes -- my family prefers these treats refrigerated anyway) before cutting and serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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Rose
Love the flavor of these! Does the caramel actually need 14 Tablespoons of butter? When I made it my caramel came out a little greasy and took almost 40 minutes to cook.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Rose! Yes, the 14 Tbsp is accurate. Sometimes the butter may separate if the caramel is cooked too quickly (which definitely doesn’t sound like the case here!) or if the humidity is very high where you are.
Suzanne
Can this recipe be cut in half and put into an 8×8″ or 7×10″ pan?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Suzanne! Yes, it can. Since you are using a smaller pan, please keep in mind that the bake time will be different so you will want to keep an eye on it. Enjoy! ๐
Barb
Been waiting to make this, but after my caramel experience not sure I want to make it again. I like another commented, I finally stopped stirring at about 55 minutes. Started slow and once boiling gently I reduced the heat. Waited for it to pull away from side of pan. Never did happen. It is hard as a rock! Wouldnโt it be more accurate to use a candy thermometer ? Soft ball, hard ball stage! Disappointed!
Sam
Thatโs so weird! You can certainly use a caramel recipe that requires a candy thermometer but what I like about this one is that itโs so easy… at least thatโs how Iโve always found it to be. Disappointed to hear that wasnโt the case for you, Barb ๐
Barb
So you automatically stop boiling at about 15 min as your recipe states? It looks so good, I really want try it!!!!
Sam
No, I look for the visual cues, but that normally only takes about 10-15 minutes for me. I will try to make a video of this recipe to help show what to look for.
Arlene
Thanks for this great sounding recipe. Do you cut the mixture while it is still in the 9 X 13 pan or is there a way to remove everything from the dish & then cut into bars?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Arlene! You want to allow the chocolate to harden before cutting and serving. You will cut them, while they are still in the pan. However, if you aligned the pan with parchment paper, you should be able to lift the entire dessert out of the pan and then cut them. I hope that helps. Enjoy your shortbread! ๐
Arlene
Thank you!
Aimi
I have made variations of this before, but your “shortbread” recipe is the best for this type of bar. The cookie portion held together and tasted awesome. The caramel was perfect. Once the caramel started boiling, I lowered the heat and continuously stirred the caramel so it would not burn. It takes a bit of attention, but comes out creamy and perfect.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the shortbread, Aimi! ๐
Sonali
These came out really well, but the caramel took almost 40-50 minutes of cooking, and not 10-15 mins. It also separated (butter floating on top), which meant I had to take it off the heat and whisk it. That worked better than stirring with a spoon/laddle. Also, I added bourbon to the caramel and orange zest to the chocolate. Next time I might add walnuts or pecans to the chocolate layer. More work than I was expecting, but delicious.
Sam
Hi Sonali! I’m so sorry it took so long. At what point did you add the bourbon? That may have been what made it take so long. Typically if you have separation it is because the caramel was heated too quickly.I hope it turns out better next time. ๐
Morgan
Iโm in Canada, havenโt been able to find a โheavy creamโ – would a 33% whipping cream be a suitable substitute?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Morgan! In Canada whipping cream is the closest equivalent, so yes that should work great. Let me know how your shortbread cookies turn out. ๐
Chantal Francoeur
Have you recently changed the recipe? I don’t recall the corn syrup, when I made them a few times before…
Sam
Nope! The recipe has been the same since it was originally published.
Morgan
Iโm in Canada, havenโt been able to find a specifically โheavy creamโ – would a 33% whipping cream work as a substitute?
Amy
Sam, do you think I could make the shortbread dough ahead and put in the fridge/freezer? And the the caramel ahead and jar? Want to make these over the weekend and bake off for a cookie swap on Friday!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Amy! I haven’t tried it, but I think you should be ok. I hope that they are a hit at your cookie swap! ๐
Kate
The whole bar actually freezes well, too! When I make them, I cut them in like 1 inch squares and anything leftover goes in the freezer and is a perfect pick me up when I need something late in the day! Or just throughout the day haha Awesome recipe!
Linda
Can you freeze these squares?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Linda! I have not tried it. If you do, let me know how it turns out. ๐
LPeaden
I have frozen millionaires before. After the bars/squares are cut, place them on a tray and freeze individually. Then, after they are frozen solid place them in an airtight container or sealed plastic freezer bag. They might last a few months-but they wonโt last that long once they are discovered. Be sure to thaw for a little bit before serving.
Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for sharing! I am glad to know it works well. ๐
Mary Waite
My daughter turned me on to your Millionaire Shortbread receipt. I’m going to make them for a New Years Eve dance party. She says there’re great! I saw a picture of your – it looked like chili with shredded cheese, sour cream, and avacodo on the side. How do I find the receipt? Thank you.
Teizeen
I have ready made caramel sauce – can I use that instead? How much would I need for this recipe?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Teizeen! I am sorry I have not tried making this recipe with ready-made caramel sauce so I can not advise on how it would work or how much to use. ๐
Teizeen
How much caramel sauce does your recipe above make? Like 1 or 2 C?
Sugar Spun Run
It makes just over 2 cups.
Melissa A
Hi Sam,
I made these today and my caramel turned out a little grainy and a bit sticky on the tooth. I couldnt find corn syrup on my local supermarket so DIYed it. I mixed 1 cup of sugar with 1/4 cup of water. Do you think it may have been the sugar that has crystallised?
Thanks Sam! Hopefully next time I can find corn syrup and get it right!
Sam
Hi Melissa! The corn syrup could be the issue, but usually when it turns out grainy the caramel was cooked too quickly and the sugars didn’t have time to dissolve. ๐
Tracy
Corn syrup can usually be found with the pancake syrups. KARO is the most popular brands I’ve seen
adela Uribe
Great recipe this is the best and so easy to make – do i need to refrigerate it after its been sitting for 4 hours after everyone has eaten some. thank you
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Adela! ๐
Madison
Do you think these would freeze well?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Madison! I have not tried it. If you do, let me know how it turns out. ๐
Patti
I made a similar recipe last year and they freeze really well. Cut them first.
Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for sharing, Patti! I am so glad to hear that they froze well for you!
Kate Martin
I’m excited to try these! Can I use dark chocolate in place of the semisweet?
Sam
Absolutely! I hope you love the recipe, Kate! ๐