Chocolate Caramel Slice (Millionaire's Shortbread)

Whipped Shortcrust Biscuit Base

Butter is a key flavor in these biscuits. If using salted butter, simply leave out the additional salt, if using unsalted butter, additional salt is a must!

Flour - plain, standard grade or all-purpose flour is what this recipe calls for.

Icing Sugar or Powdered Sugar adds sweetness with the added starches giving the biscuit a tender snap.

Caster sugar can be substituted with white granulated sugar. Plain white or caster sugar gives a crispness to this biscuit that is otherwise completely lost with just using icing sugar.

Salt - add if using unsalted butter. The salt brings out the flavor of the butter and flour.

Notes - in my testing phase, I did try the ever-popular biscuit bases made with melted butter. I didn't like it, the base seemed oily and I knew I could make a better shortcrust.

This particular caramel slice is made without coconut, but you can include 100 grams of desiccated coconut should you wish.

Caramel Filling

Brown sugar - this is a caramel filling after all and needs sugar to form a delightful caramel in the end.

Full cream condensed milk adds sweetness and creaminess. Do not use a low-fat version as the fat in the condensed milk is necessary for the caramel to thicken and set up.

Golden Syrup adds flavor and keeps the caramel soft, even though it sets enough to be sliced.

Butter is a crucial element in caramel. It adds fat and richness.

Salt - to give the caramel its salty deliciousness. Here you need to measure according to taste. I found that 2 teaspoons of sea salt give a nice saltiness.

Notes - in my testing phase, I tried some very popular caramel fillings that did not contain golden syrup and way less butter. This resulted in a very thin lacklustre caramel filling, in my opinion.

Chocolate Topping

Dark chocolate and a neutral oil such as coconut oil or even some butter. This allows the chocolate to be sliced without cracking. I suggest using 50% dark chocolate, I tried 72% and it was just too much for me. This is a personal choice.

Making the Slice

Whipped Shortcrust Base

Making the biscuits begins with room temperature butter that is soft enough to beat and whip. The butter and sugars are then whipped together until light and fluffy.

The flour is then added to the butter and mixed in using a spatula or wooden spoon until all the flour is coated. The biscuit dough is then kneaded together 3 to 5 times until it turns into a nice cohesive ball.

Place the biscuit dough into the prepared tin and press down at evenly as possible. Using a fork, poke the biscuit base before baking for 15- 20 minutes.

TOP TIP - if the dough of your shortbread feels too crumbly, work it a bit more with the spatula.

Caramel Filling

Place the butter, syrup, sugar, and condensed milk in a medium-sized saucepan and boil, stirring the entire time all the ingredients are melting together. Once the caramel has started to heat up and boil, whisk/stir constantly for 5 to 10 minutes until the caramel thickens and browns.

To test the caramel, take a cold teaspoon or knife and dip it in, if it sets up fairly quickly the caramel is done.

Take off the heat and stir through the salt and vanilla.

Pour the caramel filling over the biscuit base and bake at 180°C for 10-15 minutes. Once the edges have just started to caramelize, remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

Chocolate Topping

In a heatproof bowl, place the chocolate and butter or oil, and zap in 20-30 second increments until the chocolate is melted, stirring after each interval. Alternatively, melt the chocolate in a glass dish over a pot of water on the stove. Do not let the water touch the bottom of the glass bowl. Do not get water into the chocolate, the chocolate will seize.

Pour the chocolate over the cooled caramel filling, and spread evenly using the back of a spoon or offset spatula. Allow the slice to cool completely before slicing. You can place the entire tin into the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Pro Tips for this Recipe

When lining the slice tin, make sure you have an overhang on each side of the tin, this allows for easy removal.

Stir the caramel constantly to ensure the caramel doesn't catch at the bottom of the saucepan.

The caramel layer needs to be cool but not necessarily cold before adding the chocolate, this keeps the slice layers crisp and neat.

The temperatures stated are for conventional ovens. For convection, fan-forced, fan-assisted, or air-fryers, the temperature must be reduced by 20°C/25°F.

For baking, make sure the oven is fully preheated, and that the rack is in the middle of the oven. Open the oven as little as possible. For best baking results use an oven thermometer.

Remember that all ovens work slightly differently and bake times may need to be adjusted for your specific oven.

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