Chocolate caramel shortbread cookie bars recipe (2024)

by Roxana 27 Comments

Buttery shortbread topped with ooey gooey caramel and silky ganache, these layer cookie bars will cure any cravings. Put your stretchy pants on, you’ll need them while devouring these rich chewy bars
Chocolate caramel shortbread cookie bars recipe (1)I’ve been holding on to this recipe for a couple of weeks now. It may have been my selfish side or the fact that your tights will expand as you read the ingredient list. Butter on top of more butter, oozy gooey caramel, smooth chocolate spread and silky ganache. These bars are so rich it’s no surprise they go also by the name millionaire bars. Grab a glass of milk and some stretchy pans. You’ll know what you mean once you bite into one of these chewy cookie bars.

On the bright site, these rick cookie bars will go a long way since a small square will satisfy your cravings.

These are a lot of recipes for millionaire’s cookie bars, but mine has a twist that will make these bars even more irresistible.

Chocolate caramel shortbread cookie bars recipe (2)

These cookie bars, just like the name suggests, start with a layer of buttery shortbread. Butter, sugar, flour and a touch of vanilla extract are pulsed together in the food processor until the dough comes together.

With your fingers and the back of a spoon press the dough evenly on the bottom of a baking pan. Bake until just golden.

That’s the easiest part of the recipe. Once the shortbread layer is out of the oven, you need to work as fast as possible.

For the first chocolate layer, I used Hershey’s chocolate spread. I spooned it in a ziploc bag, snipped the end and drizzled it all over the warm shortbread. With an offset spatula, gently spread it evenly. Set aside while baking the caramel layer.Chocolate caramel shortbread cookie bars recipe (3)The caramel layer is a little tricky. Of course, if you want to take a shortcut, you can use a can of store-bought can of dulce de leche (I prefer La Lechera from Nestle) but I’ve made my caramel from sweetened condensed milk, a touch of brown sugar and butter. There’s no big deal into making it, you just have to stay focused. No time to multi task or you’ll burn the caramel and the only thing you can do to save a batch of burned caramel is to start all over again and pay more attention. I may or may not talk from experience.

Once the caramel is done, quickly pour it over the chocolate layer and spree fit evenly.

The finishing touch is a two-tone chocolate ganache.

Chocolate caramel shortbread cookie bars recipe (4)

I prefer dark chocolate for the ganache to balance the sweetness of the caramel layer, but you can also use semisweet chocolate. Additional you could use a pinch of fleur de sel to sprinkle over the bars for a salty touch.

For the marble effect as soon as you poured the dark chocolate over the caramel layer, drizzle the melted white chocolate and with a toothpick gently make some swirls.

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You may also like:

  • Chocolate chip breakfast cookies

  • My favorite Christmas cookies

  • Triple chocolate tart

Chocolate caramel shortbread cookie bars recipe

Yields 24 bars

Buttery shortbread topped with ooey gooey caramel and silky ganache, these layer cookie bars will cure any cravings

15 minPrep Time

30 minCook Time

4 hrTotal Time

Chocolate caramel shortbread cookie bars recipe (8)Save Recipe

Print Recipe

Ingredients

    Shortbread layer

  • 2 1/4 cups (270 grams) all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup (70 grams) sugar
  • 3/4 cup (170grams) unsalted butter, diced
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Chocolate layer

  • 1/2 cup Hershey's chocolate spread
  • Caramel layer

  • 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
  • 7 tbsp (100 grams) unsalted butter, diced
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
  • Chocolate ganche

  • 1 cup (160 grams) dark chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup (55 grams) white chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350F. Line a 13X9" baking pan with parchment paper, leaving about 1 inch of paper hanging on the sides.
  2. In a food processor add the shortbread ingredients. Pulse for about 1 minutes until the dough comes together and forms a ball.
  3. Remove the dough from the food processor and with your fingers press the dough evenly on the bottom of the prepared baking pan. With the back of the spoon, smooth it.
  4. Prick the shortbread with a fork all over and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until firm to touch and very light brown.
  5. Remove from the oven.
  6. Meanwhile, spoon the chocolate spread into a zilpoc bag and cut the corner.
  7. As soon as you remove the shortbread from the oven, drizzle the chocolate spread over it. The warmth of the shortbread will soften the chocolate spread making it very easier to spread with an offset spatula.
  8. Set the shortbread aside to cool for about 30-40 minutes.
  9. Once the shortbread is cooled down, it's time to make the caramel.
  10. In a medium saucepan, add the butter, brown sugar and condensed milk and heat gently stirring constantly. Bring to a boil.
  11. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for about 5-7 minutes or until the mixture thickened and has turned a caramel color.
  12. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate spread layer. Spread it evenly.
  13. Leave to cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.
  14. To make the ganache, melt the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Pour over the caramel layer. Immediately melt the white chocolate and drizzle over the dark chocolate layer.
  15. With a toothpick, gently marble the two chocolates.
  16. Let to set completely before cutting into bars.

7.6.8

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Roxana Yawgel http://atreatsaffair.com/ All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.

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Happy Baking,

Roxana

Chocolate caramel shortbread cookie bars recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is millionaires shortbread called? ›

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 you thicken Carnation caramel? ›

BUT there is a way around this – you can thicken Carnation caramel by boiling it with caster sugar and butter. It makes a dark, rich gooey caramel that is absolutely gorgeous.

What is the difference between caramel shortbread and millionaire shortbread? ›

Millionaire Shortbread and Caramel Slice may look similar, but they're different in a few key ways. Millionaire Shortbread hails from the UK and has a firmer caramel layer, while Caramel Slice is an Australian treat with a gooey caramel center.

What is shortbread called in America? ›

Americans are the outlier on how we use "biscuit"

To most of the rest of the English-speaking world, a biscuit is what Americans would refer to as either a cookie or a cracker. Biscuits can be sweet (shortbread) or savory.

How many calories in a chocolate caramel shortbread from Starbucks? ›

There are 390 calories in 1 serving of Starbucks Chocolate Caramel Shortbread.

How many calories are in Mexican shortbread cookies? ›

Mexican Shortbread Cookies 4 servings per container. Serving size 5 cookies (30g) Calories: 150, Total Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 120g, Total Carbohydrate: 1…

Is condensed milk the same as caramel? ›

The key difference between these two is that dulce de leche is made from condensed milk, or milk and sugar, and caramel is made from sugar and water.

What can I add to caramel to make it thicker? ›

For each cup (240 mL) of caramel sauce that you need to thicken, run 1 tbsp (14.7 mL) of cold water into a measuring cup, and slowly stir in 1 tbsp of cornstarch. Pour the cornstarch mixture into your pot caramel sauce, and stir constantly. Keep the sauce on low heat until it begins to thicken.

Why won't my caramel harden? ›

If caramels are too soft, that means the temperature didn't get high enough. Again place the caramel back into a sauce pan with a couple of tablespoons of water and heat to 244°F. If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can test with a cold water test. Details on how to use this method can be found here.

Where does millionaire shortbread originate from? ›

The caramel shortbread bar first pops up in the Australian Women's Weekly at the beginning of the 1970s, though the name seems to have originated in Scotland. Whatever the history, it's too good to be wasted on the 1%.

Why is Scottish shortbread called shortbread? ›

Shortbread is so named because of its crumbly texture (from an old meaning of the word "short", as opposed to "long", or stretchy). The cause of this texture is its high fat content, provided by the butter. The short or crumbly texture is a result of the fat inhibiting the formation of long protein (gluten) strands.

Who invented millionaires shortbread? ›

While there's no definitive evidence for when millionaire shortbread was created, it is thought that it originated in Scotland. It is very sweet and rich, which is one of the reasons given for its decadent name.

What is the significance of shortbread in Scotland? ›

The custom of eating shortbread at New Year has its origins in the ancient pagan Yule Cakes which symbolised the sun. In Scotland it is still traditionally offered to “first footers” at New Year.

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