Salted Caramel Shortbread Bars

Hi hi! I’ve been wanting to share a caramel slice recipe on here for the longest time! Caramel slice was a classic bakery treat I grew up eating (we call a ‘bar’ a slice in New Zealand), and they are an absolute favourite of mine. They are essentially a baked shortbread base, which then has a salted caramel mixture poured over it, followed by a dark chocolate ganache topping, and, if you like, a heavy sprinkling of salt. I love to get them out when I am at a bakery, but they are also super easy to make at home, and make the perfect sweet treat. From a quick google, it seems as if this is called a bunch of things - salted caramel shortbread, millionaire’s shortbread, caramel slice, etc. They all seem to be iterations of the same recipe, but all super delicious.

This version comes from a beautiful new book I was sent by the lovely folks at Phaidon - it is the newest from Jane Hornby, called ‘Simple and Classic - 123 Step by Step recipes’. The idea behind it is super clever - it is jam packed with recipes, ranging from sweet to savoury, all with step by step photos accompanying each recipe. So often in cook books there will only be one hero image of each recipe, so it is amazing to see not only step by step photos of each part of the recipe, but also broken down ingredient shots. This book would be perfect for a visual learner, or for someone who is beginning to cook and needs a little more guidance in terms of breaking down the recipe steps. I have my eye on a bunch more recipes, and have already sent one to a friend as a gift!

This recipe is super simple, but tastes anything but. It starts with a baked shortbread dough, which is baked until golden brown in the oven. Once it is slightly cooled, a thick layer of salted caramel is poured on, and left to set. The whole thing is then finished off with a layer of dark chocolate, and loaded up with flaky sea salt. A little goes a long way with this, but once you start snacking on it, you somehow find it disappearing much faster than you thought it would. The best.

A few wee tips:

• This looks a little complicated, but I promise that it is not - each component is super simple.

• I left my caramel to cool overnight, but you can probably just leave it for a few hours if you need - it does hold onto heat for longer than you think!

• I wanted the top of my slice to have some texture in the chocolate, so I poured the chocolate on, then popped it in the fridge for about 10 minutes, then used an offset spatula to swirl up the chocolate, then left it to set completely.

• According to Jane, to make this traditional Millionaire’s shortbread, you can add only a pinch of salt in the filling, and leave it out from the top, and then use semisweet chocolate on the top (about 30% milk solids)

Salted Caramel Shortbread Bars

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 7 reviews

• Author: Erin Clarkson
• Yield: Makes about 12 large pieces, or 24 smaller pieces 1x

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Description

Salted Caramel Shortbread Bars

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Crust

• 110g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 50g superfine (caster) sugar
• pinch of salt
• ½ tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 140g all-purpose flour

Salted Caramel 

• 110g unsalted butter
• 200g dark brown sugar
• 80g golden syrup or corn syrup
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 400g (14oz) can of sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate topping

• 200g bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
• 1 Tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
• ½ tsp salt

Flaky sea salt, for topping

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Instructions

SHORTBREAD BASE

1. Lightly grease an 8” (20cm)  shallow square baking pan, then line with parchment paper. Put the butter into a large bowl and beat well with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until creamy and pale. Add the sugar, salt, and vanilla and beat again until even paler. 
2. Sift the flour over the creamed butter and sugar. Using a spatula, gently work the flour into the mixture to make an even dough that starts to clump together. 
3. Press the dough into the prepared pan, then level and smooth it with the back of a spoon. Prick it all over with a fork, then chill for 10 minutes, or longer if you like, until firm. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°f /160°c.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the shortbread is golden all over. Let cool completely. 

CARAMEL

1. Melt the butter, sugar, syrup, and salt together gently in a saucepan, then stir in the condensed milk. 
2. Bring the caramel to a simmer, stirring constantly with a spatula, and let it bubble for 4 minutes, or until it thickens and smells like creamy toffee. It should be thick enough for the spatula to leave a trail in the caramel for a few seconds. Don’t leave the pan or stop stirring during this step, because it can easily burn on the bottom. 
3. Pour the caramel over the shortbread, then let it cool completely. 

CHOCOLATE TOPPING

1. Melt the chocolate either over a saucepan of water or in the microwave. Stir in the oil, then pour this over the caramel. Sprinkle with the salt and let set at room temperature, or in the fridge if it is a hot day. The oil helps stop the chocolate setting too hard, which can make it difficult to cut. 
2. When the chocolate is just set, mark it into squares, then chill until completely firm.  
3. Cut into cubes to serve. For a really clean finish, wipe the blade of your knife with a slightly damp cloth between each slice. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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Notes

Recipe reprinted with permission from ‘Simple and Classic’ by Jane Hornby

Simple and Classic is copyright Phaidon Press Limited, and was written by Jane Hornby and published in 2019