his
popular British shortbread consists of three delicious layers; a buttery
shortbread, a smooth caramel, and a shiny layer of melted chocolate.
Biting into one of these delectable bars is like enjoying both a cookie
and a candy bar at the same time. .
This confection starts with a baked shortbread base which is
topped with a layer of creamy caramel. Now, there are two ways to make the
caramel. Recipes in the past called for making your own by cooking a can
of sweetened condensed milk until thick and caramel colored. This is
definitely an option but a much simpler way is to use a product called Dulce de Leche. Dulce de
Leche (also known as Cajeta, Arequipe, Manjar, and Confiture de Lait) is
Spanish for "sweet of milk" or "milk candy" and is basically boiled milk
and sugar. It is a delicious tasting spread with a beautiful caramel color
and flavor and can be found in some grocery stores or else in specialty
food stores or online. If you use the Dulce de Leche when making
these bars, all you have to do is heat the caramel and pour it over the
baked shortbread base. If you make your own caramel from sweetened
condensed milk, once it has cooked all you need to do is beat it until
smooth and then, again, pour it over the baked shortbread base.
The finishing touch, the
chocolate layer, is semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate that is melted
with a little butter to help keep the chocolate shiny, even when
refrigerated. For this recipe, because chocolate is one of the more
dominant flavors, make sure to use a good quality chocolate that you enjoy
eating out-of-hand. When choosing a chocolate, always look for one
that has a lovely shiny finish (a sign that the chocolate was cooked at
the right temperature for the right amount of time) and one that has that
wonderful 'snap' when you break it into pieces. Once the melted
chocolate is poured over the caramel layer and has been left to set, cut
the shortbread into bars with a sharp knife. Do this before you
refrigerate the shortbread bars as cold chocolate does not cut well. If you can resist I find it best to make these bars at least a day before
serving to give the flavors time to soften and mingle.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177
degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.
Grease
with butter (or use a cooking spray) a
9 x 9 inch (23 x
23
cm) pan.
FOR SHORTBREAD:
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter
and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour and salt and beat until
the dough just comes together. Press onto the bottom of your greased pan and
bake for about 20 minutes, or until pale golden in color. Remove from oven and
place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.
FOR CARAMEL FILLING:
If using Dulce de Leche then simply warm the caramel in the microwave or in a
heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. If using sweetened
condensed milk, pour the milk into a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over a
saucepan of simmering water. Cover and cook, over low heat, stirring
occasionally, for 60 to 90 minutes or until the milk has thickened and has
turned a caramel color. Remove from heat and beat until smooth.
Pour the caramel over the baked shortbread and leave to set.
Note: You can also
do this step in a microwave oven. Place the sweetened condensed milk in a
large microwaveable bowl and cook on medium power for about 4 minutes, stirring
halfway through baking time. Reduce the powder to medium-low and continue
to cook for another 8 to 12 minutes, or until the milk has thicken and has
turned a light caramel color. Remove from microwave and beat until smooth.
FOR TOPPING: Melt the
chocolate and butter either in the microwave oven or in a heatproof bowl set
over a saucepan of simmering water. Pour the melted chocolate evenly over
the caramel and leave to set. Cut the shortbread into pieces using a sharp
knife.
Store the shortbread in the
refrigerator to keep the chocolate nice and firm.
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