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Millionaire’s Shortbread goes by many names, but all of them point to a buttery shortbread crust topping with luscious caramel filling and a sturdy chocolate topping. Falling somewhere between a cookie and a candy, you’ll be hooked after just one bite!
Millionaire’s Shortbread has a million names! Not really a million, but it goes by several including: caramel shortbread, chocolate caramel shortbread, caramel squares, caramel slice, millionaire’s slice, and Wellington squares.
In my opinion, the variety of names is evidence that people in different places independently developed recipes for something like Millionaire’s Shortbread, completely unaware of similar confections, not unlike convergent evolution.
Anthropology aside, Millionaire’s Shortbread has a buttery cookie crust topped with soft caramel layer and delicious semi-sweet chocolate topping. No wonder people everywhere are making and eating it!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Corn syrup: Traditional shortbread is made with Lyle’s Golden Syrup. It is located in the baking aisle near the syrups of well-stocked grocery stores or you can buy it online.
Step-by-step instructions
To make the shortbread:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan with parchment, allowing two sides to have a 2-inch overhang. Spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fit with the paddle attachment on medium, or with an electric mixer by hand, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy and light, about 2 minutes.
- Add flour and salt, and mix on low speed until combined and has the consistency of course sand, about 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and press into an even layer.
- Bake until light golden brown and dry, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack.
To make the caramel:
- As the shortbread cools, combine sweetened condensed milk, butter, syrup, and salt in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Stir continuously until the mixture is thickened and light butterscotch-colored, about 10 to 20 minutes. (Mixture should read 220 to 225 degrees on a digital thermometer.) Adjust heat as necessary and stir constantly to prevent bottom from scorching.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla. Immediately pour over the shortbread crust, smoothing it into an even layer.
To make the chocolate topping:
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate.Stir carefully and continue to microwave in 30-second increments until smooth, stirring after each increment. Pour over caramel filling and spread evenly.
- Chill until chocolate is just set, about 30 minutes. Cut parchment away from sides of pan and using parchment overhang, carefully remove from pan.
- Using a sharp knife, cut into 16 squares.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 16 bars approximately 2 inches by 2 inches in size.
- Storage: Store bars covered in the refrigerator for up to one week. Bring to room temperature before serving.
- Freezer: Wrap bars well individually in plastic wrap and then foil. Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- Millionaire Pie: Inspired by Furr’s famous Millionaire Pie. With a pecan crust and smooth pineapple filling, this version tastes a MILLION times better than the original!
Recipe FAQs
This name came from Scotland and reflects the decadence and “wealth” of this luscious treat that is much fancier than regular shortbread.
While Millionaire’s shortbread has a soft caramel filling, Billionaire’s shortbread has salted caramel sauce in the center.
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Millionaire’s Shortbread
Ingredients
For the shortbread:
- 3/4 cup butter softened (1 ½ sticks)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the caramel:
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 cup butter (½ stick)
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup (see note 1)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the chocolate topping:
- 2 (4-ounce) bars semisweet chocolate broken into pieces
Instructions
To make the shortbread:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan with parchment, allowing two sides to have a 2-inch overhang. Spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fit with the paddle attachment on medium, or with an electric mixer by hand, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy and light, about 2 minutes.
- Add flour and salt, and mix on low speed until combined and has the consistency of course sand, about 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake until light golden brown and dry, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack.
To make the caramel:
- As the shortbread cools, combine sweetened condensed milk, butter, syrup, and salt in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Stir continuously until the mixture is thickened and light butterscotch-colored, about 10 to 20 minutes. (Mixture should read 220 to 225 degrees on a digital thermometer.) Adjust heat as necessary and stir constantly to prevent bottom from scorching.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla. Immediately pour over the shortbread crust, smoothing it into an even layer.
To make the chocolate topping:
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate.Stir carefully and continue to microwave in 30-second increments until smooth, stirring after each increment.
- Pour over caramel filling and spread evenly. Chill until chocolate is just set, about 30 minutes.
- Cut parchment away from sides of pan and using parchment overhang, carefully remove from pan. Using a sharp knife, cut into 16 squares.
Notes
- Corn syrup: Traditional shortbread is made with Lyle’s Golden Syrup. It is located in the baking aisle near the syrups of well-stocked grocery stores or you can buy it online.
- Yield: This recipe makes 16 bars approximately 2 inches by 2 inches in size.
- Storage: Store bars covered in the refrigerator for up to one week. Bring to room temperature before serving.
- Freezer: Wrap bars well individually in plastic wrap and then foil. Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.