Caramel Shortbread Bars Recipes

MILLIONAIRE SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges; set aside.
• Combine 1 cup butter and sugar in large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt; mix to combine (mixture will be crumbly). Press into bottom of prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Remove from oven; let cool while making caramel.
• Stir all Caramel ingredients together except vanilla in heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, 20-25 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 236-239°F. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. (Caramel may be speckled with brown bits.) Pour caramel over baked crust and spread evenly (mixture will be very hot). Let cool 1 1/2 hours.
• Microwave chocolate at 50% power in 30-second intervals until melted and smooth. Spread over cooled caramel; sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate 20 minutes or until chocolate is just set. Let bars sit at room temperature 20 minutes before cutting.
• To cut into sticks, remove from pan using foil overhang. Cut bars in half into 2 (9x6 1/2-inch) rectangles. Cut each rectangle into thirds to make 6 (1/2x3-inch) rectangles. Cut each of these rectangles into 8 (3x3/4-inch) sticks.

CARAMEL SHORTBREAD SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).
• In a medium bowl, mix together 2/3 cup butter, white sugar, and flour until evenly crumbly. Press into a 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
• In a 2 quart saucepan, combine 1/2 cup butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and sweetened condensed milk. Bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 3 minutes. Pour over baked crust (warm or cool). Cool until it begins to firm.
• Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute, then stir and continue to heat and stir at 20 second intervals until chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour chocolate over the caramel layer and spread evenly to cover completely. Chill. Cut into 1 inch squares. These need to be small because they are so rich.

SALTED-CARAMEL SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil, extending over the sides. Spray the foil liberally with cooking spray and set aside.
• 2. In a mixing bowl beat together butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla. Lastly, mix in flour (4 cups) until soft dough forms. Press HALF of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Refrigerate the remaining dough.
• 3. Bake the crust for 15 minutes . Remove from the oven. In a small bowl combine caramel sauce, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, and remaining 2 Tablespoons of flour. Mix well. Pour evenly over cooked crust.
• 4. Crumble the refrigerated dough on top of caramel layer. Cover the caramel completely and use ALL of the dough (caramel will bubble up ... pay close attention to the edges). Sprinkle generously with sea salt. (I suggest tasting the caramel sauce to gauge how much additional salt is desired.)
• 5. Return to oven and continue baking for an additional 25-30 minutes or until golden brown (very light) and the caramel is bubbly. Cool completely before cutting in to squares.

MILLIONAIRE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8 inch square baking tin with baking paper.
• Beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
• Add the flour, beating on low just until it starts forming small clumps
• Scatter it into the prepared tin, then press it down lightly so there are no gaps.
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• Combine the condensed milk, sugar and butter in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir for around 6-7 minutes until the mixture is smooth and thickened slightly.
• Stir in the salt, then pour the caramel over the shortbread base.
• Bake for another 20 minutes. Let it cool for 30-40 minutes at room temperature before transferring to the fridge.
• Once the caramel is cool to the touch, place the chocolate in a medium heat proof bowl and set aside.
• In a small saucepan, heat the cream over low heat, swirling every so often, just until it starts to bubble.
• Pour the cream over the chocolate and give the bowl a gentle shake to settle the chocolate under the cream. Leave for 1 minute to soften, then stir to combine. If it's not all melting together, give it a zap in the microwave for 20 seconds on half power, no more.
• Pour the chocolate over the caramel and level out, then chill for at least 1-2 hours or overnight before cutting into squares.

MILLIONAIRE'S SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, pushing the foil neatly into the corners and up the sides of the pan, using two pieces if necessary to ensure that the foil overlaps all edges (the overhang will help removal from the pan). Spray the foiled pan with nonstick cooking spray or grease with butter.
• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the flour, brown sugar, cornstarch and salt; process until well combined and no lumps of brown sugar remain. Add the butter and pulse until a coarse meal forms. Add the ice water and egg yolk and blend until moist clumps form. Dump the dough into the prepared pan and press with your fingers into an even layer (dust your fingers with flour if the dough is too sticky). Pierce the dough all over with a fork and bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, butter, golden syrup, vanilla and salt together in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, the butter melts and the mixture comes to a boil. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and boil gently, whisking constantly, until the caramel is thick and the temperature registers 225 degrees F, about 6 minutes. Pour the caramel over the warm crust; cool for about 15 minutes, or until caramel is set.
• Place the chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate is about 75% melted. Stir, allowing the residual heat in the bowl to melt the remaining chocolate, until smooth (if necessary, place the chocolate back in the microwave for a few more; just be sure not to overheat or the mixture will curdle). Spread the chocolate over the caramel layer. Refrigerate the bars until the chocolate is set, at least 1 hour. Using the foil overhang, lift the bars out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into small squares and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
• Note: The shortbread layer will crumble a bit when you cut it; that's just the nature of it.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: These can be frozen for up to 3 months. After they are completely cooled, double-wrap them securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.

CARAMEL SHORTBREAD SQUARES

Steps:

• Mix 2/3 cup butter, 1/4 cup sugar& 1 1/4 cups flour until the mixture is crumbly.
• Pat into a 9" pan.
• Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile bring the caramel ingredients to a boil and boil for 5 minutes then pour over the shortbread base.
• Cool.
• Melt chocolate in a double boiler and pour over the cooled caramel shortbread Cool- cut into small squares.