Recipe Millionaire Bars

MILLIONAIRE SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges; set aside.
• Combine 1 cup butter and sugar in large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt; mix to combine (mixture will be crumbly). Press into bottom of prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Remove from oven; let cool while making caramel.
• Stir all Caramel ingredients together except vanilla in heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, 20-25 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 236-239°F. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. (Caramel may be speckled with brown bits.) Pour caramel over baked crust and spread evenly (mixture will be very hot). Let cool 1 1/2 hours.
• Microwave chocolate at 50% power in 30-second intervals until melted and smooth. Spread over cooled caramel; sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate 20 minutes or until chocolate is just set. Let bars sit at room temperature 20 minutes before cutting.
• To cut into sticks, remove from pan using foil overhang. Cut bars in half into 2 (9x6 1/2-inch) rectangles. Cut each rectangle into thirds to make 6 (1/2x3-inch) rectangles. Cut each of these rectangles into 8 (3x3/4-inch) sticks.

VEGAN MILLIONAIRE'S BARS

Steps:

• Grease a 20cm square cake tin and line with baking parchment. Tip the cashew nuts and oats into a food processer and blitz to crumbs. Add the dates and coconut oil, and blend again. Transfer to the tin and use a spoon to press the nutty mixture into a compact, even layer that covers the base. Chill while you prepare the filling.
• For the filling, add the dates, almond milk, maple syrup and coconut oil to a saucepan with a generous pinch of salt and bring to a simmer. Boil for 2-3 mins until the dates are really soft, then tip into the blender, add the vanilla extract and blitz to a smooth purée. Add a little more salt if the mixture is too sweet. Pour over the nutty base and spread to the sides of the tin, getting the surface as smooth as possible. Chill while you prepare the topping.
• Gently heat the coconut oil in a saucepan until melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa and maple syrup until there are no lumps. Cool for 10 mins, pour over the caramel layer and return to the fridge for at least 3 hrs or until firmly set. To serve, cut into squares. Will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.

MILLIONAIRE'S SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch square pan.
• Sift flour into a bowl. Rub in butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Mix in brown sugar and shape dough into a ball.
• Press dough into the prepared pan. Prick all over with a fork.
• Bake in the preheated oven until set and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, combine condensed milk, butter, and brown sugar in a nonstick saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until caramel comes to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until golden and pulling away from the sides of the pan, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Pour caramel over cooled crust and refrigerate until firm to the touch, about 1 hour.
• Place chocolate in top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes.
• Spread melted chocolate over cooled caramel. Refrigerate until chocolate hardens, about 15 minutes. Cut into bars.

MILLIONAIRE BARS

Steps:

• Crust:.
• Preheat oven to 350* and lightly grease a 9 x 9 baking pan.
• Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Add vanilla and salt. Stir in the flour just until the dough begins to come together in walnut-sized chunks.
• Press the dough into the prepared pan and bake 20 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Begin making filling as soon as you put the dough in the oven.
• Filling:.
• Pour the milk into a heavy saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring often, 60-90 minutes, until golden brown.
• When thick and deep golden, spread caramel evenly over cooled crust and refrigerate until caramel is cool and set.
• Topping:.
• Melt the chocolate and butter slowly over low heat and spread over the cooled caramel layer. Sprinkle sea salt over the chocolate (if desired). Refrigerate until set.
• Store the bars, covered, in the fridge.