Millionaire Bars

It was a fun, happy week end with my annual Christmas cookie exchange party this week end.  I will have a post later this week about it.  It’s hard to believe that Christmas Eve is a week away!

Are you looking for a treat that will get devoured fast?  Try these millionaire’s shortbread!

These are called millionaire’s shortbread because they are rich - literally.  This is a cookie made of shortbread with a filling of homemade caramel and topped with chocolate.  It’s like a gourmet Twix bar!

Millionaire's Shortbread 
Makes 3 dozen

Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 1/2 cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter, melted

For the filling:
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup butter1/2 tsp. salt 

For the topping:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate (6 ounces chopped fine, 2 ounces finely grated)Salt, for sprinkling 

Directions:
For the crust: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350°F. Make foil sling for 13 by 9-inch baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil; first sheet should be 13 inches wide and second sheet should be 9 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. 

Mix flour, sugar, and salt in medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir with rubber spatula until mixture is evenly moistened. Crumble dough evenly over bottom of prepared pan. Using fingertips and palm of your hand, press and smooth dough into even thickness. Using fork, pierce dough at 1-inch intervals. 

Bake until light golden brown and firm to touch, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack. Using a metal spatula, press on entire surface of warm crust to compress. Let crust cool until it is just warm, at least 20 minutes.

For the filling: Mix all ingredients together in large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until mixture registers between 236 and 240°F, around 16 to 20 minutes. Pour over crust and spread to even thickness (mixture will be very hot). Let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours. 

For the chocolate: Microwave chopped chocolate in bowl at 50 percent power, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add grated chocolate and stir until smooth, returning to microwave for no more than 5 seconds at a time to finish melting if necessary. Spread chocolate evenly over surface of filling.  Sprinkle with salt, if desired.  Refrigerate shortbread until chocolate is just set, about 10-15 minutes.

Using foil overhang, lift shortbread out of pan and transfer to cutting board; you can discard foil. Cut shortbread into pieces.

Source: Cook’s Illustrated