Millionaire's Shortbread

So my husband and I went on a little jaunt out into the depths of Shropshire last weekend. We of course took Archie our gorgeous golden retriever, here is looking wistfully into the distance:

First, we stopped off at Mortimer's Forest near Ludlow, a beautiful peaceful forest full of lovely walks. He was able to dart about here and there investigating this and that to his heart's content. Then we went on into Ludlow for a wander round. Many years ago I used to live a few miles away from Ludlow so it's a bit special to me. This lovely old market town is steeped in history including possessing its very own castle. It boasts lots of bespoke quaint little shops and cafes. Well worth a visit.

Following this meander we decided to visit one of our favourite café for cuppa and a sweet treat.  Paul went for millionaire's shortbread. I didn't need to even consult the menu, rich fruitcake every time for me please. As you may have worked out by now it's something of an addiction of mine.

Please Sir, may I have some more...

Of course, what he was hoping for was a decent man-sized slab of his favourite treat. What was delivered however was a short, stubby version cowering in the middle of the plate thus was, to put it mildly, somewhat disappointing. The waiter informed us it was however a standard portion as he gazed at the offering with an air of self-doubt.

I, on the other hand, was presented a fat nice slab of rich, moist fruit cake gorgeousness so all was well in my world. I tried not to be tooooo smug. But it was spot on ....

So in order to make it up for him I decided to give conjuring up this shortbread come caramel come chocolate combo a go myself.

And so to the tricks of creating perfect millionaire's shortbread

Millionaire's shortbread, what a name. The joy of this little beauty is how perfectly the three sweet tiers compliment each in terms of flavour and texture.

The shortbread is crisp and crumbly and works so well with the softness of the caramel above, which in turn is topped off by lovely soft chocolate. Adding cornflour is what gives the shortbread this consistency.

Caramel sauce tips

The caramel can be tricky but if you follow the steps below you will be fine, it's worth the effort. It is a bit needy though and requires constant attention. Use a heavy bottomed saucepan and whisk fast and continually. Just a few seconds of missed whisking and it will start to brown and catch on the bottom of the pan.

If you are using an electric hob it can be more difficult, so keep it simmering on a medium heat. If little flecks of dark brown start to pop up take it immediately off the heat and continue to whisk frantically, to stop it catching any further. The little brown flecks won't matter, they are really just a warning sign. Then, after about 30 seconds whisking, return to the medium heat and continue to whisk as it thickens.

The sauce has to simmer to thicken but if simmering too fast it will burn.

As I say it's a temperamental one to get right, but so worth it!

You will find that the caramel is ready after about 6 minutes of simmering and whisking. When ready it will be golden, gloopy and glossy, like a thick toffee sauce. Keep whisking for a couple of minutes when you take it off the heat to prevent it catching as it's still very lava like.

Then you can pour it onto your cooled shortbread and then leave to set in the fridge for about an hour.

You will notice that the chocolate topping has a bit of flavourless oil in it, this is to ensure it keeps a soft texture. For a bit of snazz you can add some gold dust to the top if you so wish!

So please enjoy this recipe and do let me know how you get on.