Buttery, crumbly homemade shortbread layered with thick and rich caramel all topped with a silky layer of indulgent white chocolate. These white chocolate millionaire shortbread bars are luxurious but easy.
Everything about these white chocolate shortbread bars is homemade. But really easy. I've always been a fan of a traybake like these chocolate chunk cookie bars, or these 7 layer almond bars, and most importantly the famous Savvy Bites brownies! But you can see all the easy baking recipes right here!
But this millionaire shortbread is a little different. The classic buttery shortbread is there and so is the extra thick caramel. But this one is topped with luxurious white chocolate. It's familiar enough to be comforting but rich enough to feel even more luxurious than the original!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Indulgent treat- These caramel white chocolate shortbread bars are perfect for valentines day!
- Easy to make- No special equipment is required for these caramel bars. They are amazing for baking with kids!
- Make it your own- See the variations below for all the ways that you can make these simple millionaire shortbreads your own!
Ingredients needed
It's hard to believe that these 6 simple ingredients turn into these rich and sweet millionaire shortbread bars, but that's all it takes! BTW- these are also commonly referred to as caramel shortbread, caramel squares, caramel slice, millionaire's shortbread, millionaire's slice, chocolate caramel shortbread, and Wellington squares!
And if you're not sure what these are they can be described as biscuit confectionery item composed of a shortbread biscuit base topped with caramel and milk chocolate, or white chocolate in our case!
- butter- salted or unsalted work. Personally, I use salted butter in all my baking.
- caster sugar- you can use granulated here too
- brown sugar- dark or light brown are great
- plain flour
- condensed milk
- white chocolate- I've used the choceur white chocolate from Aldi. It's a little bit more costly than the most basic cooking chocolate, but its really creamy and melts really well.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1 & 2- Making the shortbread
- It's easiest if you use a food processor. Just add the cubed butter, flour and sugar the the bowl of your food processor and pulse until the mixture is crumbly like bread crumbs. *Be careful not to overmix.
- If using your hands; mix the sugar and flour together and rub the cubed butter in with your fingertips.
Step 3 & 4- Baking the shortbread
- Place your crumbly shortbread base into the lined pan and using a spoon, or your fingers press the dough into the bottom of the pan.
- Be sure to press the dough into the corners of the pan so you end up with nice square edges once baked.
Step 5 & 6- Caramel
- Add all the ingredients to the pan and melt the butter and sugar over low heat. Once melted, turn the heat up to high and boil for about 5-7 minutes whisking continuously so the caramel doesn't burn.
- When the caramel is ready it will be darkened and thick enough to hold a ribbon when it's' drizzled on itself.
Step 7 & 8- Assembling
- Pour the slightly cooled caramel over the golden baked shortbread base.
- Use an offset pallet knife of the back of a spoon to spread the caramel and get a nice flat surface. Place in the fridge to set for 1 hour.
Step 7- Finishing the white chocolate millionaire shortbread bars!
- Carefully melt the white chocolate and pour it over the set caramel.
- Place back in the fridge for another 30-40 minutes until the white chocolate is set.
Recipe FAQ's
Caramel ends up too runny when it hasn't been cooked long enough. A great tip is to let the caramel cool for about 5 minutes before you pour it on the shortbread. If it seems too runny still just place the pan back on the heat and cook for a few more minutes.
The secret to white chocolate caramel shortbread is to let the tray sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes so the white chocolate isn't so cold. And use a hot knife to carefully slice through the bars. Run a knife under hot water and use a towel to dry it off before slicing.
Do you really want to know the answer to this question???
It's about 350 calories. But totally worth it!
Because they are rich and indulgent. And the butter and chocolate used to be luxury items (they still are a little bit) and you had to be a millionaire to be able to afford them!
Substitutions
If you know how to make the recipe fit a certain diet, let the reader know here. Don't fake it - only provide guidance on topics you have actual experience with.
- Sugar - you can use caster sugar in place of the brown sugar for the caramel. You will end up with a caramel that is paler in colour and a little bit sweeter than one made with brown sugar.
- Butter - salted or unsalted butter are both great here. They both work and you will barely notice a difference.
- Margarine - you can use margarine in place of the butter here, but I just don't find the texture or flavour the same. But the recipe will still work.
Variations
This is where you really get the place around with flavours and make these white chocolate shortbread your own!
- Spices - add a ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon or nutmeg to the caramel mixture while it's cooking.
- Orange - add the zest of an orange to the shortbread mix before baking and add a tablespoon of orange juice to the caramel while it bakes.
- Salted caramel - add some sea salt to the caramel once its off the heat and starts too cool.
- Nuts - sprinkle some chopped nuts- pecans or almonds work really well- on the top of the caramel before pouring the white chocolat over. Or sprinkle over the white chocolate before placing in the fridge to set.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. You don't need much for making these shortbread bars. A good baking tin and that's about all that's truly required. The food processor is very nice to have, but you can get similar results with your fingers and a little muscle!
Storage
What makes white chocolate millionaire shortbread so great is that it holds up really well in the fridge or freezer. And it stores well at room temperature for a couple of days.
- freezer- wrap the cut bars in foil and freeze for up to 3 months
- fridge- place in an airtight container
- room temperature- in an airtight container for about 3 days
Top tips for perfect white chocolate millionaire shortbread!
Use a sharp hot knife to cut the shortbread bars.
Let the tray sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before slicing to make sure that they cut cleanly.
These really are best served at room temperature. The texture is much better with the caramel being softer and the chocolate being silky. The flavours also come together better and stand out, especially if you've added any variations.
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The Best And Easiest White Chocolate Millionaire Shortbread
Ingredients
Shortbread
- 200 g (7 oz) butter, salted is fine
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) caster or granulated sugar
- 275 g (2 cups) plain flour
Caramel
- 200 g (7 oz) butter *see note 1
- 3 tablespoons (3 tablespoons) dark brown sugar *see note 2
- 397 g (1 ¼ cups) condensed milk, 1 tin
white chocolate topping
- 300 g (2 ⅐ cups) white chocolate *see note 3
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºc/ 160ºc fan. Line a 9 x 9 tin with greaseproof paper and set it aside.
- In a food processor or by hand make the shortbread by mixing the sugar and flour together and rubbing in the butter. If you're using a food processor be sure to use the pulse setting so the shortbread dough doesn't overmix. The dough will be crumbly and look like breadcrumbs.
- Press the dough into the lined tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until the shortbread is golden and slightly puffed. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, make the caramel.
For the caramel
- Place the condensed milk, brown sugar and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat to melt the butter. Once the butter is melted turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a boil for about 5-7 minutes, whisking continuously so the sauce doesn't catch and burn. The caramel will start to thicken, darken and the bubbles will start to get bigger and the boiling will slow down.
- Set the caramel aside to cool for about 5 minutes. Once it's cooled down slightly pour the caramel over the shortbread and spread evenly. Place in the fridge to set for about 1-2 hours. When it's set you will be able to gently touch the caramel without leaving a fingerprint.
For the white chocolate topping
- Gently melt the white chocolate in a bowl in the microwave in 10-second intervals. Or you can set a glass or metal bowl over a pan of barely simmering water mixing until the chocolate has melted. Be sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water.
Rita
Love this recipe so much! Great for making with the kids and they disappear so quickly. Thanks for another great recipe. Love your website!
Deborah Rainford
So happy you loved this recipe! Ans thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating!