Easy Caramel Millionaire Shortbread | Vegan

It's officially September, which means it's finally acceptable to get cozy every evening, snacking on a new batch of baked goodies and getting excited about the lead up to halloween. I'm 100% a summer girl, so I'm not quite there with feeling all the autumn excitement just yet, which is why the pumpkin spiced baking hasn't happened, but it won't be long! 

Instead, today I thought it would be fun to create something that actually involves minimal baking, but is still fun to make and honestly is crazy delicious! Millionaire shortbread has been something I've wanted to attempt to make for quite some time now and through much trial and error, I have finally come up with the most amazing vegan version, which honestly tastes exactly how I remember it to be before I went vegan!

This is certainly one of my most indulgent recipes, so not something I make all the time, but I find it so enjoyable when I do! This would also be a perfect treat to have at family and friend gatherings as it's not messy and also goes a long way! 

- VEGAN CARAMEL MILLIONAIRE SHORTBREAD -

Serves: 12   Prep time: 15 mins   Cook / Refrigeration Time: 3 hours 30 mins

You will need:

Shortbread layer:

- 1 cup vegan butter

- 3/4 cup caster sugar

- 1 1/2 cups plain flour

Caramel layer: 

- 320g (1 tin) coconut condensed milk (I used Natures Charm)

- 1 cup vegan butter

- 4 tbsp maple syrup

- 3 tbsp caster sugar

Chocolate layer:

- 2 bars (200g) vegan milk chocolate 

- 1 bar (100g) vegan white chocolate 

Method - 

1. Preheat the oven to 200C and line a 8x8 baking tin with parchment paper, set aside. 

2. Ideally with a stand / hand mixer, cream together the vegan butter and caster sugar. Slowly add in the plain flour and mix until combined. The mixture will be soft but crumbly, but should form into a dough once picked up with your hands. 

3. Place the dough into the baking tin and press it with your fingers so it covers the entire base of the tin. Make sure that the layer is completely even and flat before placing in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes until the dough has turned to a light golden brown. 

4. Remove the shortbread layer from the oven once cooked and set aside. In a medium / large saucepan, pour in the coconut condensed milk, vegan butter, maple syrup and caster sugar and place on the hob on medium - low heat, continuously stirring until the butter has melted. Once melted, turn the heat up to high and allow the sauce to boil so that it forms into a caramel like consistency, continuously stir for 7 minutes. 

5. Once the caramel has thickened a lot and the colour has turned to a deep golden brown, remove from the heat and pour it out onto the shortbread. Make sure the caramel has spread to all of the corners and is even (be careful as the caramel with be VERY HOT). Place the tin back in the fridge for 1 hour.

6. Once set, melt the milk chocolate. I usually melt mine on low heat in a saucepan, stirring continuously so it doesn't burn. Once melted, pour all of the chocolate on top of the caramel and side aside while you melt the white chocolate. 

7. Pour the melted white chocolate on top of the milk chocolate and use a skewer to swirl it around and create a nice pattern.

8. Place the shortbread back in the fridge for 2 - 3 hours until the chocolate has completely set and is hard. Once set, remove from the fridge and cut the millionaire shortbread into 12 even squares! 

Store the shortbread in an airtight container, don't place it back in the fridge as it will become too hard and the caramel will be difficult to eat. It should keep nicely in an air tight container for up to a week, enjoy!

What's your favourite sweet treat?

Love always,

Shannon x