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.

joshc

I was short on parchment and made them using cupcake paper instead. Worked well, but you have to cook the shortbread at the shortest possible time and spread the caramel like you mean it or have a partner to help you do it before it sets. Not the prettiest, but delicious. I found it helpful to stir the caramel with a whisk, grease the bottom of the pan before the parchment (both with cupcakes and the normal method), and to mix in a tiny bit of coconut oil with the chocolate while melting.

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.

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Millionaire’s Shortbread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you know when shortbread is done? ›

A good way to check to see if the shortbread is baked is to see if they are set - they will be slightly firm around the outside, and may be just beginning to turn golden around the edges. You want to keep them nice and pale so make sure your oven is running at the temperature it says that it is.

What is the mistake in making shortbread? ›

The most common mistakes when making shortbread are over-working the dough, and incorporating too much flour.

What does Millionaire shortbread contain? ›

This Millionaire's Shortbread is the perfect trifecta: Sweet simple, crisp shortbread, rich chewy, homemade caramel, and thick dark chocolate ganache. Sprinkle everything off with a scattering of sea salt and you have a decadently rich treat that lives up to every penny of its lucrative name.

How do you cut a millionaires shortbread without cracking it? ›

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.

How can you tell if shortbread is underbaked? ›

Begin checking at the tail end of the cooking time. Undercooked shortbread will be doughy and chewy. Slightly overcooked and it will become chalky, brittle and hard.

Is shortbread supposed to be soft when it comes out of the oven? ›

Shortbread should always have a tender, melting texture, but be slightly crisp when you bite into it. It should not generally be damp or wet underneath. A classic shortbread recipe will also only have flour, butter and sugar as the ingredients (in a 3:2:1 ratio) and not egg, which could lead to excess moisture.

What happens if you don't chill shortbread dough? ›

But in this shortbread cookie recipe, it really makes a difference. Chilling the dough helps the cookies hold their shape. If you don't chill your shortbread dough, the cookies will spread as they bake.

What happens if you put too much butter in shortbread? ›

Greasy mess: Extra butter means more fat, making the dough greasy and difficult to handle. Spreading like crazy: Cookies lose their shape, spreading thin and flat instead of staying nice and round. Uneven baking: The excess fat can burn easily on the edges while leaving the center undercooked.

What happens if you add too much butter to shortbread cookies? ›

Butter is an emulsifier and it makes cookies tender. It also adds in the crispy-around-the-edges element. Adding too much butter can cause the cookies to be flat and greasy. Adding too little butter can cause the cookies to be tough and crumbly.

Why is the caramel not setting on my millionaire shortbread? ›

If your caramel is too soft, you didn't do it for long enough, so should definitely be kept in the fridge. You want to use a good quality pan if you can, as some pans have a very thin base.

Why is it called Millionaire shortbread? ›

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.

What is a fun fact about shortbread? ›

An early variety of shortbread, using ginger, was reportedly eaten during sittings of the Parliament of Scotland, and therefore the variety was sometimes called "Parliament cake" or "Parlies" into the 19th century. The biscuits were sold in Mrs Flockhart's tavern and shop in Bristo Street in Edinburgh's Potterrow.

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 happens if you don't poke holes in shortbread? ›

Piercing the shortbread with a fork is not only for decoration, but it's meant for more even baking. Poking holes in the shortbread allows the heat to penetrate the cookie, hence more even baking. Notice I'm using powdered sugar here.

What does poking holes in shortbread do? ›

Poking small holes in the dough allows some steam to escape while baking, preventing bubbles inside the cookies. This results in a more uniform texture throughout the shortbread.

Can you overcook shortbread? ›

For example, using an oven temperature that's too high or baking your shortbread for too long can make your cookies unpleasantly bitter.

What should shortbread cookies look like when done? ›

Bake your cookies on the middle rack of your oven and only one cookie sheet at a time, for even baking. Traditionally shortbread cookies are very pale in color, you don't want them golden brown. In order to do this, we have to use a low oven temperature, which is why we bake these cookies at 325°F.

What to do if shortbread is undercooked? ›

If your baked goods are undercooked:
  1. If they are only slightly undercooked, you can try returning them to the oven and baking for a few more minutes.
  2. If they are significantly undercooked, you may need to extend the baking time significantly.
Dec 20, 2022

What should the consistency of shortbread dough be? ›

  1. A true shortbread is made from flour, sugar, butter, and a pinch of salt. ...
  2. So shortbread dough is likely to be somewhat crumbly.
  3. But if it's too crumbly, you have basically two choices: you can add more butter (or whatever fat you used in place of butter), or you can add a little liquid.
Feb 19, 2016

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