Millionaire’s Shortbread Recipe (2024)

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Cooking Notes

Andrea

Paul Hollywood uses la different recipe that I like better. I use this shortbread recipe and his caramel. Makes a perfect cookie.¾ cup packed light brown sugar⅓ cup sweetened condensed milk3 tbsp. golden cane syrup (such as Lyle’s Golden Syrup)

Margaux Laskey, Staff Editor

You can pop it into the fridge while you melt the chocolate, but it's not 100% necessary. It's more important that you allow the shortbread to cool before spreading the caramel on top.

Adrienne

Delicious and easier than I expected! Next time I may actually increase the amount of chocolate—maybe do 8oz semisweet plus 4-6oz bittersweet or unsweetened—because the chocolate layer was pretty thin and I am a fiend.

Emily

Delicious! Only thing I did differently was to butter the pan before lining with parchment paper. Not too sweet and perfect amount of salt in the caramel layer.

Victoria Maras

The second time I made these, I embedded some mini pretzels into the caramel layer, then added more on top of the chocolate. I thought it was an upgrade-- added some more salt and texture without changing too much of a pretty great recipe.

LH

Paul Hollywood uses la different recipe that I like better. I use this shortbread recipe and his caramel. Makes a perfect cookie.¾ cup packed light brown sugar⅓ cup sweetened condensed milk3 tbsp. golden cane syrup (such as Lyle’s Golden Syrup)

cookingforfunnt

I didn’t love the flavor of the caramel when cooking - it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet; it just tasted too much like condensed milk. Based on other comments, I therefore used 10 oz (instead of 8 oz) of bittersweet chocolate (instead of semi-sweet) and I sprinkled sliced almonds and sea salt over the top. The caramel did harden as it cooled and became difficult to spread, and the bars took longer than 30 min to cool in the fridge. However, they were devoured too rave reviews. Will def make again!

TheAdventuresofDarbs

So rich and decadent! We love eating Millionaire's Shortbread in Ireland and the UK so we were excited to recreate this to share with friends at home in California. I would strongly suggest finding Lyle's Golden Syrup if possible as it lends to a more rich and flavorful finished product. If you can'd find it in your local shop, Amazon sells it. Buy a two-pack and make this gorgeous dessert all year long. Your friends will LOVE you!

Theo

I'm not an intuitive cook. This is why I use a recipe and this one was annoyingly vague.It was hard to get the caramel to 220 without it becoming quite thick and on the verge of scorching. Yes, you can spread the just melted chocolate (don't let it start to cool down and thicken) over the hot caramel, which sets up quickly.I like the taste of sweetened condensed milk, but it really overpowered this dessert and in the end I found it cloyingly sweet.

David Breitenfeld

Use your torchier to super heat your chefs knife

rebecca

I actually prefer the shortbread used in this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018402-spiced-pecan-date-shortbread-barsit only uses powdered sugar in the shortbread and it is spectacular, the best shortbread ive ever made.

Schwalker

Very simple recipe, followed directions almost exactly, very pleased with results. Regarding challenges faced by others: caramel really does need to be stirred constantly as it comes to temp, and use metal whisk instead of a spatula - whisk pulls the caramel from bottom of the pot much more efficiently than spatula. Don't heat knife when cutting - it melts the chocolate, and mars the layers of the cookie. Don't use extra chocolate - it eclipses delicate caramel flavor. Highly recommend recipe!

Eli

Hi, I just wanted to ask: is the shortbread suitable for freezing? If not, how long is it safe to keep it?

scraps

I made these exactly as written and I found the taste to be just perfect, if not a tad on the sweet side. My beef with this is the cutting is nearly impossible. Even with the sharpest of knives, the chocolate cracks, it smooshes the caramel, and you can not get the beautifully cut bars in the photo. Instead, use half the caramel, half the chocolate. Slightly freeze after the addition of caramel. After the chocolate is added, cut while the chocolate is not fully hardened. Use a warm, wet knife.

Margaux Laskey, Staff Editor

I'm afraid not, but you could certainly add a touch more salt to the caramel for balance.

Andrea

I made these for the first time and they are delicious. One improvement I would make is to increase the butter in the shortbread as it ended up a bit dry. I think 2-3 T more would do it.

Jenny

My family LOVED these! I did add a little extra chocolate. Also, it was so close to Christmas that everyone was out of Lyle's syrup. I did half light and half dark corn syrup. The first batch was eaten so quickly that I have to make again for gifts! The recipe is quite easy to make; the only work is stirring the caramel.

Mary

Delicious but cutting them was tricky. Use the sharpest knife you own. I cleaned mine in warm water and dried it off between long cuts. May have eaten the slices that broke

Sam

Added a layer of pretzels on top of the caramel and I'm not sad about it. Didn't get very dark colored caramel, but the thermometer read 225F. Excellent recipe.

Britgirljulie

One of my favourite treats ever… Memories of growing up in UK

Melissa S

For the chocolate layer, easier to sprinkle 8 oz of semisweet chocolate chips on the warm caramel (let caramel cool for 5-10 min first). Let sit for a few minutes then use small offset spatula to smooth. Chill in fridge several hours or overnight (takes longer than 30 min to chill/set chocolate).

Gina

Made the recipe exactly as is. Brought to a party and they were devoured. Definitely cut small—perfect.

albanyan

for those who have had difficulty cutting this, here’s what worked for me:chill finished bars until the chocolate is firm and no longer glossy (i chilled it overnight). take it out and let it rest maybe 30 min, and use a thin, straight blade to score the chocolate. use same thin blade to cut along scored lines.hope this helps.

Lani

I cooled the caramel, chilled the ganache, then assembled. But the ganache slides off the caramel!What did I do wrong?

Joao Pereira

Very bad. Not good. Would not reccomend. Ugh.

one lucky lass

I did a deep dive into perfecting this cookie. This recipe was disappointing as the caramel at 220 degrees did not set

ceegee

So delicious. I sprinkled some fleur de sel on top and it made all the difference. And I used my caramel - birite recipe. Perfect.

Pam

This recipe is just ok. The colour advised from the picture and method for the caramel are terrible so I took the caramel to 230f, soft ball stage and it had a nice caramel colour and good flavour. The shortbread is really crumbly making it quite hard to slice, and I only baked it for the lower recommended time of 30 minutes. I will keep searching for a better recipe.

Emily

Highly suggest using a whisk when making caramel instead of a spatula- helps to keep it from burning.

sb

I made this with my 11 year old son, and we loved the results. Smooth the shortbread layer before baking, it won’t smooth out any more in the oven. We love Lyle’s - it makes a big difference. The caramel texture and thickness was perfect - cooked strictly by instructions, but seemed to lack salt. We added a sprinkle of salt over the caramel, then over the dark chocolate layer too. The salt cut through the condensed milk flavor in the caramel. Whole family is now obsessed, need to make more!

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Millionaire’s Shortbread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to stop chocolate cracking when cutting Millionaire shortbread? ›

**If you struggle to cut your shortbread and tray bakes without the chocolate cracking on top, set it at room temperature rather than in the fridge and it'll be softer so therefore won't crack when you cut it! I recommend using a 9" square tin like this one!

Why is millionaires shortbread called that? ›

The name "millionaire's shortbread" appears to have originated in Scotland. The "millionaire" prefix to millionaire's shortbread or millionaires slice implies a level of decadence and wealth to the sweet treat, that it is an upgrade from regular shortbread.

Can I use Carnation caramel instead of condensed milk? ›

For my filling, I simply swap the condensed milk for tinned carnation caramel (a.k.a. dulce de leche) instead. This tinned caramel is actually made from sweetened condensed milk so it's essentially the same thing but it's pre-caramelised for you!

What's the difference between millionaire and billionaire shortbread? ›

FAQs. What's the difference between millionaire shortbread and billionaire shortbread? Millionaire shortbread has a caramel centre, billionaire shortbread has a decadent salted caramel centre.

What are common mistakes when making shortbread? ›

The most common mistakes when making shortbread are over-working the dough, and incorporating too much flour. The less you work the dough, the more crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth your shortbread cookies will be.

What is the trick to shortbread? ›

Tips To Make the Best Shortbread Cookies
  1. Choose High Quality Butter. No matter what brand of butter you buy, if it's real butter, you can rest assured that it's the best. ...
  2. Keep Ingredients Simple. ...
  3. Add Flavor. ...
  4. Don't Overwork. ...
  5. Shape Dough. ...
  6. Chill Before Baking. ...
  7. Bake Until Golden. ...
  8. Add Finishing Touches.

Is Twix the same as Millionaire shortbread? ›

Millionaire Shortbread aka Twix Bars

Enjoy a slice of rich, decadent Millionaire Shortbread, also known as Caramel Squares or homemade Twix Bars with an easy shortbread crust, gooey caramel layer and smooth milk chocolate topping.

What is difference between shortbread and shortcake? ›

Shortbread is similar to shortcake but doesn't include baking powder. Lots of rich butter gives shortbread a high fat content, resulting in a fine, crumbly texture. Shortcake and shortbread biscuits are delicious on their own, with fruit and cream, or simply topped with a delicate dusting of sugar.

What is the difference between Scottish shortbread and regular shortbread? ›

Traditional Scottish shortbread is a simple recipe made with sugar, butter, flour, and salt. Other shortbread styles will include leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda, which makes them crisp instead of crumbly like traditional Scottish shortbread.

Is dulce de leche the same as carnation caramel? ›

Carnation Caramel

Caramel is a ready-made authentic Dulce de Leche caramel that is easy to use in baking and as a topping.

What is dulce the leche? ›

Dulce de leche, which literally means "candy made from milk," is a thick and sugary caramel-like sauce that's made by slowly heating sweet milk. The Latin American confection is found in desserts like cakes, cookies, and flan. It's also often used as an ice cream topping or spread for toast or crepes.

Can you eat Carnation caramel straight from the tin? ›

Product Description. Carnation caramel is a no-fuss filling to accompany your bananas and biscuits for a great tasting banoffee pie. It's ready-made, caramel that you can spoon straight from the tin.

How best to cut millionaires shortbread without it cracking? ›

Slice using a hot, sharp knife.

Run a sharp, large knife until hot water for a minute or so. Then dry with a cloth and slice through the Millionaire's Shortbread. The heat with soften the layers and prevent the chocolate on top from cracking.

What is the world's famous shortbread? ›

Walker's Shortbread is honoured to carry a Royal Warrant, granted by Her Majesty the Queen, for the supply of Shortbread and Oatcakes. Walker's Shortbread is a gift fit for a king, and a treat befitting any special occasion.

Why is Scottish shortbread so good? ›

The high butter quantity in shortbread (one part sugar to two parts butter) gives it that delightfully crumbly feel. And also its name. This is because the old meaning of the world “short” reflects this crumbliness and so the name 'shortbread' stuck.

How do you cut shortbread without cracking it? ›

If possible, cut the bars before the chocolate has quite fully set or alternatively let the Millionaire's Shortbread come up to room temperature before cutting them, so that the chocolate softens slightly and is easier to cut. You can refrigerate the bars again after cutting.

How do you keep chocolate from cracking when cutting? ›

Add a small amount coconut oil or vegetable oil to the melted chocolate before pouring over the slice. This helps to stop the chocolate from cracking when sliced.

How do you keep shortbread from cracking? ›

With this approach it's important to cut the shortbread in the pan soon after it comes out of the oven. If you wait until it's completely cooled, it will tend to crack and won't cut evenly.

How do you keep chocolate and butter from splitting? ›

Melt the chocolate and butter together over a very low heat, stirring regularly. It also helps to chop the chocolate finely so that it melts evenly and to remove the pan from the heat before all of the chocolate has melted.

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