I love this treat. So very, very much. This was my first attempt at making it after enjoying it from supermarkets and coffee shops hundreds of times over and it turned out deliciously. The shortbread was buttery and crumbly and the caramel was smooth and creamy, and there was just the right amount of chocolate to top the bars. I hope that each and every one of you try this recipe as it really is worth it. Just try to resist eating more than one bar at a time.
Ingredients
For the base
130g unsalted butter, softened, with a little extra for greasing
55g caster sugar
190g self-raising flour, sifted
For the caramel
200g condensed milk
125g unsalted butter, softened
125g golden caster sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
For the topping
200g milk chocolate, chopped or in buttons
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. Grease a 7 x 11 inch tin.
2. For the base, beat together the caster sugar and unsalted butter until light and fluffy. Fold in the flour until everything is well mixed and press this mixture into the base of the greased tin. Bake for approximately 12 minutes, until risen and just turning golden. Take out of the oven and put to one side.
3. For the filling, place the condensed milk, unsalted butter, caster sugar and golden syrup into a saucepan and bring up to a simmer. Continue to gently boil like this until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is a light caramel colour – this will take approximately 8 minutes. Stir continuously throughout this process.
4. Pour the caramel mixture over the top of the biscuit base and leave to cool thoroughly for a couple of hours.
5. For the chocolate topping, melt the chocolate, either in a bowl over gently simmering water or in the microwave and pour over the cool caramel.
6. Leave the whole thing to set for a couple of hours, or until the the chocolate has become firm and then cut into approximately 12 bars.
photo credit: Lucy
