Gluten Free Browned Butter Millionaire Shortbread

If you’ve never heard of millionaire shortbread (or gluten free millionaire shortbread, for that matter), you’re in for a real treat. The fanciest, most indulgent treatiest treat out there (maybe not but they’re not called millionaire’s for nothing). The theme of these decked out shortbread bars is: why not? Why not slather half an inch of perfectly squidgy caramel over the perfect slab of shortbread, and why not, on top of that, smear the most luxurious dark chocolate you’ll ever snap into? Why not, as a millionaire would say. So why not be a millionaire for a day and make these incredibly rich, melt-in-your-mouth squares to complement your lavish post-college lifestyle? Done deal, go make them now.

Apparently, according to some very brief Google research in the last five minutes, this gorgeous addition to the shortbread portfolio was first made famous by the Brits (thanks), but first widely heralded in the Australian Women’s Weekly magazine in the 1970s (what a sad world it was before the 70s and these lovely things didn’t exist). Thank you, women of Australia, for your contribution. Now, that being said, the women of Australia first called this a ‘caramel slice’ and not the now-famous millionaire shortbread, a name we can credit the Scotts for (thank you Scotland, for this and many other things). Whether you call it a caramel slice, millionaire slice, millionaire shortbread, or simply, fancy Twix bars, these are the way to go for something a bit upscale for your next dinner party (or Oscar-watching party?).

These were definitely one of the more intimidating baking ventures I’ve done in a while – the idea of making a huge batch of homemade caramel (and getting the consistency spot on: not too chewy, not too hard, juuuuust right), on top of getting the layer of shortbread perfectly crumbly (but not too crumbly) and buttery (but not too buttery) was enough to put me off from trying for a solid month. But peer pressure is a strong force, especially when it comes from your food-loving friends, one of whom spent a year living in London and now has a penchant for British treats, so, here I am with a pan full of caramel slices. Just know that they aren’t as terrifying to make as you think they are, even with the awkward curdly caramel stage (just keep stirring!), so give them a try. If you’re a fan of these, definitely try out the other two shortbread adventures I’ve had so far: brown butter pecan shortbread and raspberry glazed shortbread! Do what tastes good!

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Gluten Free Browned Butter Millionaire Shortbread

Decadent millionaire shortbread with browned butter and gluten free shortbread

Prep Time50 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Chilling time30 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, British

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: caramell, chocolate, millionaire, shortbread, twix

Servings: 36 people

Calories: 150kcal

Author: Amelia Farber

Equipment

• 9×13 inch pan
• Candy thermometer
• Saucepan

Ingredients

For the shortbread:

• 1 1/2 Cups browned salted butter, cooled instructions below
• 1 Cup white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 Cups gluten free 1-1 flour with xanthan gum added
• 1/3 Cup arrowroot starch
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the caramel layer:

• 2 cans sweetened condensed milk
• 1 Cup salted butter
• 1/2 Cup corn syrup
• 1/4 Cup white sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

For the chocolate layer:

• 14 oz good quality dark chocolate

Instructions

• First, brown the butter. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt all of the butter and stir constantly until melted and simmering. Continue to simmer, on medium heat, for at least a few minutes, until the popping and hissing sounds have completely subsided (this is the water in the butter burning off – you’ll know once it’s silent). Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the butter reaches a deep amber color and smells nutty or caramelly. Once it reaches that color, immediately take off the burner and let sit until cool (or pop in the fridge to cool faster).
• Meanwhile, lightly grease a 9×13 inch pan, line with parchment paper, and grease again. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Once the butter is cool and room temperature (solidified), make the shortbread. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the browned butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and beat until combined. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, starch, and salt, then dump ingredients into the butter/sugar bowl and stir together with a spatula until the dough comes together. It will be fairly crumbly and should not be sticky or wet. Press the dough into the prepared pan until you have an even layer of shortbread across the bottom. Bake for 30 minutes until edges are just golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
• Make the caramel layer. Hook your candy thermometer onto the edge of a large saucepan so that the bottom tip of the thermometer nearly touches the bottom of the pan. Pour the two cans of condensed milk in, along with the butter, corn syrup, salt, and sugar. Heat on medium-low, stirring constantly, until everything is melted and combined. Continue to stir for 10-20 minutes to let the caramel thicken, darken, and soak up the butter (it will look buttery and curdled for a while, keep stirring and cooking!). Cook until the thermometer reaches between 220-225° Fahrenheit then remove from heat immediately, add in the vanilla, and stir until it stops bubbling, then quickly pour caramel over the cooled shortbread, spreading it evenly over the shortbread to the corners.
• Then melt your chocolate. Chop chocolate into small pieces and melt in a microwave or over a double boiler in short spurts until fully melted. Pour chocolate over caramel layer and again spread evenly to the corners. Then let cool! You can pop this in the fridge to harden the chocolate layer, for about 30 minutes. Then lift the entire thing out with the parchment paper and slice into desired size bars for your guests!

Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your millionaire shortbread!

Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber