Baking Millionaire’s Shortbread

Working at the restaurant, I was brainstorming ideas for new cookies to add to our petit fours plate. We offered a complimentary cookie platter at the end of the meal as a “thank you” to our guests to round out their luxurious, Italian dining experience.

Being that the executive chef liked to see a new offering every week, it also served as the perfect canvas to test out some new and exciting recipes to tuck under our belts.

We always tried to mix it up and add some character to the plate - a chocolate biscotti, a vanilla biscotti, 2 additional cookies and some form of a cake or bar. This was our usual line-up and it helped us to have some built-in variety.

I had recently gone through my usual repertoire rotation of brownies, blondies, rainbow cookies, pignoli cookies, zucchini bread, dark chocolate sea salt cookies, and I felt a little stuck...

One day, I was watching a British baking show and heard about a cookie called a “caramel slice.” I was unfamiliar so I Googled this intriguing confection... and oh boy - I was NOT disappointed!

All it took was one test run, and this cookie became the new favorite cookie recipe both with my coworkers and at home. Boyfriend’s birthday? “I want those cookies!” Thanksgiving? “You should bring those millionaire things!” A thursday night? You mean, millionaire’s shortbread Thursday??

With layers of coconut shortbread, chewy buttery caramel, bitter dark chocolate and a generous sprinkle of sea salt, it’s like a coconut macaroon and a Twix candy bar had a love child. To put it simply - they are the perfect “umami” cookie: absolutely everything you could possibly want in a single bite, and they’re dangerously addictive.

Consider yourself warned... 😎

MILLIONAIRE’S SHORTBREAD

(30 CANDY BARS)

THE BASE

125g (1 C) AP flour

88g (1/3 C) brown sugar

45g (1/2 C) unsweetened dessicated coconut (or sub coconut flour)

125g (1/2 C) melted butter

FILLING

125g (1/2 C) butter

88g (1/3 C) brown sugar

395g (1, 14oz can) sweetened condensed milk

TOPPING

200g (1-1/8 C) semi-sweet chocolate

14g (1 TBSP) vegetable oil

Coarse/flake sea salt

1) preheat oven to 325. Grease and Parchment-line a 13x9 metal baking pan.

2) combine all ingredients for the base by paddle attachment or by hand with a spatula until just evenly combined into a crumbly cookie dough.

2) press the cookie dough evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan.

3) bake for 15-20 mins, or until the cookie crust is lightly golden throughout. Allow to cool.

4) Once the cookie layer is cooling, place the butter and sugar for the filling in a medium sauce pan set to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.

5) once the mixture is melted and beginning to bubble, add in the sweetened condensed milk and stir constantly for about 5 mins more, or until mixture has thickened and is a pale, caramel color.

6) pour the caramel over the cookie base and spread evenly to the edges. Increase oven temperature to 350, and bake for 12-15 mins more, until caramel is bubbly, golden brown and has a "set-jiggle."

7) remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

8) once cool, gently melt the chocolate, then stir in the oil until well combined. Spread the chocolate coating evenly over the caramel and sprinkle with the salt.

9) Chill until firm. Once ready to cut, loosen the edges with a butter knife, then turn the pan over and tap them out onto a large cutting board. Remove the parchment, flip the cookie right-side up and slice width-wise with a large chef knife into 10 bars about 1” wide. Cut each bar into 3 equal pieces.

Serve at room temperature.