Hairy Bikers millionaire shortbread layers a buttery base, a condensed milk caramel and a thin coat of chocolate in one square tin. So I cut 16 squares of about 275 calories from the Mums Know Best recipe, and with my setting times it’s ready inside 3 hours.
It’s billed as “a truly decadent treat”, with a warning not to skimp on the chocolate. But unlike their billionaire’s version, this caramel skips golden syrup and cooks in 5 minutes rather than 20 to 25.
That gentle boil needs your full attention in a heavy-bottomed pan, because condensed milk catches fast. So I keep the spoon moving round the edges, since I find it scorches on the base before it colours on top.
Hairy Bikers Millionaire Shortbread Recipe
Description
Two spells in the fridge do most of the work here, one to firm the caramel and one to set the chocolate. Then cut it into squares once the top is hard.
Ingredients
For the base
For the topping
Instructions
- Bake the base: Heat the oven to 190°C/Gas 5 and grease a 23cm square cake tin. Mix the butter, caster sugar and flour into a dough, press it into the tin and bake for 20 minutes, then leave to cool.
- Make the caramel: Pour the condensed milk into a heavy-bottomed pan and add the butter and soft brown sugar. Bring to the boil, then boil gently for 5 minutes, stirring all the time so it doesn’t stick.
- Set the caramel: Pour the caramel over the shortbread and put the tin in the fridge to set.
- Add the chocolate: Once the caramel has set, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water and pour it over the top.
- Set and cut: Leave it to set again, then cut into squares.
FAQs
Does Hairy Bikers millionaire shortbread use condensed milk?
Yes, the caramel is built on 400g of condensed milk, so a standard 397g can is close enough. And in my experience it sets soft rather than chewy, which means the squares bite cleanly.
I wouldn’t swap in evaporated milk, though, because it has no added sugar and won’t thicken the same way. And when I want my toffee hot rather than set, I make their date-rich sticky toffee pudding instead.
Is there a richer version than millionaires shortbread?
Yes, billionaire’s shortbread in Brilliant Bakes, with cornmeal or rice flour in the base, golden syrup in the caramel and salted dark chocolate on top. And its caramel is ready when, after a few minutes off the heat, a fingertip comes away clean and the dent slowly fills in.
They joke “who wants to be a millionaire when you can be a billionaire?”, and suggest gold leaf for real bling.
Which chocolate should I use?
Any bar works, because it’s 150g of “your favourite chocolate” in the ingredients. But I like half dark and half milk, so the top isn’t too bitter against the caramel.
If you want chocolate as the main event, though, their two-layer chocolate cake in Everyday Winners is the bake I turn to for birthdays.
How do I cut it without cracking the chocolate?
I grease the tin as the recipe says, then add a parchment sling with overhanging sides so the slab lifts straight out. And I borrowed that from the billionaire’s version, which is cut with a lightly oiled knife or metal scraper.
I let the tin sit out for 10 minutes first, since chocolate straight from the fridge tends to snap rather than slice. But their Biker brownies from British Classics go the other way, with a night in the fridge to set them fudgy rather than cake-like.
How long does it keep?
Mine keeps well in an airtight tin somewhere cool, so it lasts up to a week. Or I keep it in the fridge when the weather’s warm.
Their crisp stem ginger biscuits keep in a tin just as well, so I often bake a batch of each for the week.
