Millionaire Bars
Millionaire Bars are three of my favorite things in one little package: Shortbread, Caramel, and Dark Chocolate. They take a little time to pull together due to the different layers, but the time is worth it.
Note on Equipment:
You’ll probably want to use a food processor for the shortbread. It’s easiest and faster this way. If not a mixer will also probably. The shortbread crust for this recipe is a half batch of my Ted Lasso Shortbread Cookies.
Note on Ingredients:
For the butter for the shortbread crust, make sure it is super cold/frozen.
As for the Dark Chocolate Chips, I use a store-brand 60% Dark Chocolate Chips. They’re not fancy, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t go fancy if you want to.
The Maldon Salt (Not an affiliate Link) is purely optional. It really adds to find product and helps to cut some of the sweetness. I like this salt and the size flakes. It’s perfect for this type of recipe. I also use it on my focaccia.
Note on Process:
These take about 3.5 hours from start to finish. If you use your freezer to cool each layer, then you can speed it up. I’ve managed two hours from start to finish, but I used the freezer for chilling the caramel and chocolate.
The most challenging part of this recipe is probably the caramel. You’ll want to rush it or push the heat up, but it goes a lot better when you don’t. I have definitely burned a few batches of caramel while testing this rest out. Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. I put up a gallery below that shows more of the steps.
I use a dry method caramel here. It’s the method I’ve almost always used when making caramel ever since I learned about to make caramel in culinary school. I like that it doesn’t use extra water or corn syrup. You can find recipes that use those somewhere else.
There is going to come a point in the process (Photo #3 below) where it’s going to feel like you messed it up. Keep going. Do not bump up the heat to speed this part along. I find it’s best to keep is on the lower end to ensure that all the sugar crystals melt without burning it.
Until the caramel is burnt, it can be salvaged. Once it’s burnt, you have to start all over again. There’s no coming back from burnt caramel. It’s just bitter.
I use 5.5 oz of heavy cream, which I found to be the best balance between a caramel that doesn’t ooze right out of the bars yet also does not get stuck in your teeth. When I tested with 6 oz (which is about 3/4 c.), it started oozing fairly quickly. When I tested 5 oz, it felt just a hair too stiff/sticky. So if you prefer stiffer caramel, use less than the recipe calls for. If you’re overly concerned about tooth fillings, then add in a little extra. What you don’t want is for the caramel to be oozy even when it’s cool. It just won’t work for the bars, but it would work as an ice cream topping. The photo of the bars that I am using is from the version with the 6 oz of heavy cream.
Millionaire Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 Batch Ted Lasso Biscuits (Recipe below is half batch)
- 1 Batch Caramel (Dry Method) - Recipe below
- 1 Batch Dark Chocolate Ganache - Recipe Below
- 1 T. Malden Sea Salt (Optional)
- 1 C. Kari's Gluten Free Flour Blend
- 1/2 C. Powdered Sugar
- 10 1/2 T. Unsalted Butter
- 1/8 t. Morton Kosher Salt
- 1 1/2 C. Granulated Sugar
- 2 T. Unsalted Butter
- 5.5 oz. Heavy Cream
- 1 t. Vanilla Bean Paste (Optional)
- 7 oz. Dark Chocolate Chips (60% is best, but 72% would also work)
- 1 T. Unsalted Butter
- 3.5 oz. Heavy Cream
Instructions
- Follow instructions below for Shortbread Crust. Cool in refrigerator while preparing caramel.
- While Shortbread Crust is cool, prepare Caramel (Dry Method). Top crust with Caramel. Cool for an hour in refrigerator before adding Dark Chocolate Ganache.
- Once the caramel layer is cooled, prepare Ganache.
- Top Caramel layer with Ganache. Sprinkle on Maldon Salt. Chill for at least an hour before cutting.
- To Cut Bars: If you used parchment, pull the cold bars from the pan using parchment paper to lift from pan. Run a sharp knife under hot water until the knife is warm. Quickly dry knife, then slice bars. Repeat heating knife and drying between each slice until the bars are cut to desired size.
- Serve.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line an 8 x 8 inch square cake pan with parchment paper.
- Add flour, powdered sugar, and salt to a food processor. Pulse a few times to mix.
- Add cold/frozen butter to food processor. Pulse until the consistency of course sand.
- Dump the shortbread dough into the prepared pan and press the dough into the pan until it is flattened.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden brown.
- Cool in refrigerator while preparing caramel.
- Combine Heavy Cream and Butter into a small sauce pan. Heat until a light film forms on the surface of the heavy cream. Turn off and set aside.
- While Heavy Cream is warming up, place a medium sized sauce pan on the stove and set the burner at about medium heat. At this point you are just warming up the pan.
- Take about a 1/4 cup of the sugar and sprinkle it onto the bottom of the pre-heated medium saucepan. The sugar will melt and form some color. Using a silicone spatula (a wooden spoon also works), stir what is in the pan a little bit. Try to keep the sugar from pushing up on the edges of the pan. If it starts caramelizing too quickly, the pan may be too hot and will need to be turned down. You may even need to take it off the burner for a bit.
- Once the sugar is mostly melted and gets some color, add in the next 1/4 cup of sugar.
- Repeat this process until all the sugar is added and there are no more sugar crystals or chunks remaining. Sometimes it can get chunky. This is ok and should melt away. You will likely need to use your spoon to break up the chunks.
- After the sugar reaches a nice caramel color, turn off the burner. Then slowly poor in the hot cream and butter. It is going to bubble, boil and steam, so be very careful with this part. Keep your skin out of the steam as much as possible while stirring. Stir until well combined. If the caramel and cream separate for any reason, you may need to turn the burner back on for a bit to keep the caramel melted.
- Add in the vanilla here and stir until combined, if using.
- Once caramel is all done. Pour on top of prepared Shortbread Crust and place in refrigerator to cool for an hour.
- Once it has been close to an hour for the chilled caramel layer, you may start the ganache.
- Add the chocolate chips to a heat proof bowl (glass works well).
- Warm up the heavy cream and butter in a pan until a light film forms top.
- Pour the scalded cream and butter onto the chocolate chips. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- After the 5 minutes, stir the ganache mixture together carefully to ensure all the chips are melted. Do not mix too aggressively or else you may end up with a lot of air bubbles.
- If there are still chips not yet melted, either place the bowl over a hot water bath or microwave at 15 second intervals, stirring in between until all the chocolate is melted.
- Pour the ganache onto the chilled caramel and smooth it out as best you can.
- If using, sprinkle the Maldon Sea Salt on top of the ganache now.
- Chill until the ganache is solid. At least 30 minutes, but may be up to an hour.
- Cut Millionaire Bars and serve.
