- Weekend Brunch Flatbreads – Recipe - 22 January, 2016
- Winter sea salt brownies – Recipe - 19 November, 2015
- Grilled Aubergine Bruschetta - 19 August, 2013
So because the next ice age has apparently already kicked in, my body seems to be in desperate need of chocolate and carbs, ideally by the bucketful. Shortbread is the ideal cold-weather treat. Rich and buttery, it goes very well with a large cup of tea. You can have it in nice bite sized portions which definitely feels less greedy than eating a big slice of cake. Obviously it still works if you eat half the pan in one go. This is a pretty easy recipe, so even if you are not much of a baker, it’s definitely worth a try.
Millionaire’s shortbread is essentially just plain shortbread topped with caramel and chocolate. While the cooking time for the caramel is quite long, it is definitely worth the (minimal) effort. As you cook the condensed milk in its tin there won’t be any clean-up afterwards either, which is always a bonus in my book. Make sure to leave some time between adding the caramel and chocolate layers, otherwise the finished product will end up looking a bit messy, but it will definitely still be tasty. Leftovers will keep pretty well in an airtight tin if you aren’t planning to eat it all in one glorious chocolate fest.
280g butter
140g sugar
340g plain flour
1 tin of condensed milk (about 390ml)
200g plain chocolate (it is definitely worth buying good quality chocolate for this)
1. Put the can of condensed milk into a saucepan full of water. Do NOT open the can; just leave it as it is. Simmer on a low heat for two hours, and then open carefully.
2. While the condensed milk is boiling, cream together sugar and butter.
3. Knead in the flour and leave the dough to rest in the fridge for 30 mins.
4. Pre-heat oven to 180C.
5. Butter and flour a rectangular tin and line the bottom with parchment paper.
6. Press shortbread dough into the tin, make sure it goes up the sides and doesn’t have any gaps in the bottom. Bake for 30 mins.
7. Pour the condensed milk, which by now should have turned into caramel, onto the cooled shortbread. Spread with a knife so you have a more or less even surface. Leave to set for 1-2 hrs.
8. Melt chocolate in the microwave or over a pan of water and spread on top of the caramel layer. If you want to make your chocolate topping look more interesting, make a wave pattern with a butter knife once the chocolate has begun to set.
