I've been making these Caramel Slices for the past few years, and only recently learned that they are formally called Millionaire's Shortbread! These slices first became popular in Australia in the 1970s, but have found a permanent place in our home, and among our favorite Yes Chef Kitchen recipes. You can make your own caramel on the stove the old fashioned way, or you can take a short-cut and use Sweetened Condensed Milk to make a no-fail caramel every time. With a shortbread enhanced with coconut flakes and topped with semi-sweet and white chocolate, these bars are just as irresistible as they are easy to make.
Ingredients:
For the Shortbread:
1/2 Cup Confectioner's Sugar
1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Sweetened Coconut Flakes
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, Melted
1/2 Tsp. Salt
(Whisk dry ingredients in a bowl and prepare the caramel on the stove-top in a sauce pan.
For the Caramel:
1 Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk (14 Oz.)
1/3 Cup Unsalted Butter
1/4 Tsp. Salt
For the Chocolate Topping:
1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 Tsp. Coconut Oil
Optional: +1/2 Cup White Chocolate Chips + 1/2 Tsp. Vegetable Oil
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
In a baking pan (any shape or size, but I like to use a 8 inch round or about a 6" x 9" pan.
Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving parchment to spare on the sides of the tray. You will need these flaps to lift the shortbread out of the pan once it has cooled.
As the oven is heating up, in a bowl, combine 1/2 Cup of Confectioner's Sugar, 1 Cup of Flour, 1/2 Cup of Sweetened Coconut Flakes, and 1/2 Tsp. of Salt. Whisk evenly.
Melt 1 stick (1/2 Cup) of Unsalted Butter and combine with the dry ingredients until it becomes a crumbly dough.
Press the dough evenly into the pan on the parchment paper.
Bake the shortbread base in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
While the shortbread is baking, combine 1 14 oz. can of Sweetened Condensed Milk with 1/3 Cup of Unsalted Butter and 1/4 Tsp. of Salt in a pot on the stove on medium-high heat.
Stir constantly using a silicon spatula until the butter is completely melted and the mixture is thickened (about 7-8 minutes). When I say stir constantly- I mean CONSTANTLY. Otherwise the caramel will burn. If the caramel is bubbling constantly or starting to stick to the pan, turn the heat down a notch. Remember that you will need to take the shortbread out of the oven at some point while you are stirring the caramel!
Once the caramel has thickened, pour it over the coconut shortbread base and spread it out from corner to corner until even.
Place the pan back into the oven and bake for another 10-12 minutes. This will set the caramel.
Remove the pan and then let cool while preparing the chocolate topping.
In a microwave safe bowl, melt 1 Cup of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips with 1 Tsp. Coconut Oil in the microwave for 1 minute, stirring at intervals of 30 seconds. Stir until no chocolate chip pieces are unmelted, microwaving another 15-20 seconds if necessary.
Once totally melted, pour the chocolate over the caramel in the pan and spread out evenly.
If you wish to decorate your bars with white chocolate, melt 1/2 cup of White Chocolate Chips with 1/2 Tsp. of Vegetable oil. Microwave in 30 second intervals until fully melted.
This is where you can get creative! You can put dollops of the melted white chocolate on top of the melted semisweet chocolate and use a toothpick to drag across the chocolate to create a pattern, or you can put the melted white chocolate into a piping or ziplop bag. Cut the corner of the bag (just a small cut to allow the chocolate to flow through in a straight line when squeezed), and make straight lines across the top of the bars about 1/2 to 1 inch apart. Use a toothpick to drag through the white chocolate to create a feathering effect!
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