Happy Easter Monday!!!

If you decide to save some of the bajillions of Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies you no doubt accumulated yesterday, then I have the best idea on how to use them. Melt them down and make them into another dessert of course, so you can celebrate all over again!

Millionaire’s shortbread is just one of those recipes I find myself returning to again and again. It’s super easy to put together and everybody loves it. But who wouldn’t? Melt in your mouth shortbread biscuit, topped with a thick caramel and finished with a layer of chocolate. Yes please. It’s ooey, gooey, deliciousness, and madly, not as sickly sweet as you’d think. Especially if you use dark chocolate or a milk/dark mix on the top. Go on, indulge!

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INGREDIENTS

You will need:

One shortbread recipe of your choice – (I’ve used a number of different ones in the past and all have worked perfectly for this). I’m going to give you the flexibility to choose a recipe here, as I know there are ingredient shortages at the moment depending on where you live. You’re looking for a 3:2:1 ratio of flour to butter to sugar. (This Nigella recipe, halved, works well if you omit the vanilla.)

I’ll include my recipe here, but don’t feel you need to use the mix of flours or sugars if you don’t have them. Use all plain flour if you don’t have cornflour and use all caster sugar or all icing sugar if you only have one kind at hand.

120g plain flour

30g cornflour (maicena)

100g unsalted butter, chilled

25g icing sugar

25g caster sugar

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200g of manjar blanco or dulce de leche (a very thick caramel sauce – if you can’t find it, have a look online at how to make your own using condensed milk)

150g chocolate 70% dark or a mix of milk and dark (200g if you’re feeling fancy…)

1 square baking tin measuring 20cm x 20cm (if you only have a rectangular one then you can multiply the recipe by half again, or double it, depending on the size of your tin)

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METHOD

1. Line the baking tin with baking paper (it makes it easier to remove and slice at the end). Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas mark 3.

2. Make the shortbread dough according to your recipe, but don’t shape it. If you’re using my shortbread recipe then follow these steps – Sieve the flour(s) into a mixing bowl and mix in the sugar(s). Rub in the butter with your fingers until you get a texture resembling breadcrumbs, then push and squash the mixture together to make a dough.

3. Using your hands push the dough into the baking tin, making sure it’s equally distributed over the entire base of the tin. Prick the dough all over with a fork and put in the fridge to chill for around 15 minutes. Bake until slightly golden on top – note that it won’t necessarily feel crisp like a biscuit until it has cooled down. For me the baking time has varied enormously depending on the ovens I’ve had access to etc., but I would say normally around 25-30 minutes (check at 20 minutes then at 5 minute intervals after). Leave to cool in the tray on a wire rack.

4. Once cooled, spread the manjar blanco over the shortbread, completely covering it. Place in the fridge to set slightly as you don’t want it to combine with the warm melted chocolate.

5. Melt the chocolate, using either a bowl over boiling water or in the microwave (check every 10 seconds). Once melted pour the chocolate over the layer of manjar blanco, again making sure to cover the whole surface. Return to the fridge to set the chocolate.

6. Once the chocolate is hard, remove from the fridge and remove the millionaire’s shortbread from the baking tray using the baking paper to lift it out. Warm your knife in some hot water (it will help to cut the chocolate without cracking it randomly), dry it, and then slice the shortbread into squares!

7. Happy Easter!!

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