Have you had Millionaire Shortbread? It's a cookie/candy comprised of 3 layers: the bottom is shortbread, the center is caramel and the top is chocolate. What's not to love? I think they taste like their factory made cousin, Twix. During the "making" process, I was worried these would look like something a toddler made. Each layer didn't sing or ring for me. What went into the fridge was a caterpillar but what came out was the butterfly of candy bars. One bite and I was in love.
I first saw Millionaire Shortbread on America's Test Kitchen. Then a bunch of people on Instagram were making it. It's not that I can't make homemade caramel, a ganache and shortbread but honey this girl doesn't have time for all that.
It was time to find a shortcut. That's what this is. The process is a little time consuming and takes some planning but every component is super easy to make and requires little skill. All you need to do is make an easy shortbread crust in the food processor (I think a stand mixer will work), make a shortcut dulce de leche and top with melted chocolate.
Since ours is a shortcut, I recommend using good ingredients. I used Guittard semi-sweet chocolate, Land O'Lakes butter and [clears throat] a store brand sweetened condensed milk.
TIPS:
- Let your butter come to room temperature. I leave mine on the counter overnight.
- The dulce de leche can be made in advance and warmed in the microwave so it's spreadable. I made mine 2 days ahead.
- If you don't have a food processor for the shortbread, a stand mixer and a paddle attachment should work. Or a hand mixer. The object is to mix the butter into the sugar and flour.
- Semi-sweet or dark chocolate should be used here. The dulce de leche is so sweet that you want chocolate that is going to have a bitter note to cut the sweetness. I recommend Maldon Sea Salt for the same reason. The salt adds another layer of sophistication to this.
- Don't use chocolate chips. They have a stabilizer that helps them keep their shape.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a sling using parchment paper for an 8 inch square pan. Grease the parchment using the butter wrapper. Place the flour and sugar in a food processor and pulse once. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles peas. Press the shortbread mixture into prepared pan. Dock bottom with tines of fork to prevent bubbling. Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 20 - 22 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool completely.
Step 2: Spread the dulce de leche evenly on top. If the dulce de leche looks grainy, it's ok. Mine did too.
Step 3: I melted the chocolate in the microwave. Stirred every 30 seconds until almost all the chocolate was melted. Allowed residual heat to melt it further while stirring. Avoid burning the chocolate. Top the dulce de leche layer with melted chocolate and evenly sprinkle with Maldon Sea Salt. Allow to set in the fridge for 15 - 30 minutes until the chocolate is almost set but not hard. Cut into cubes or bars. Serve at room temperate or chilled. I store this in the fridge, if it lasts that long!
*Note - follow these link in order to make dulce de leche. It's very easy!
Recipe inspired by food.com
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