Chocolate Orange Millionaire’s Shortbread; crumbly shortbread base, a layer of salted orange caramel, and a generous layer of orange chocolate too. Mouth watering yet?
There are some things in this world that just cannot be improved upon.
Stranger Things, Nutella, the first two generations of Pokémon games, Justin Trudeau going to work in that Clark Kent costume…
However some things, though great in their original form, can be amplified with just a little tweak to make them EPIC. These Chocolate Orange Millionaire’s Shortbread bars are a prime example of such a successful tweak. (You are forgiven if you read that as “successful twerk.”)
If you’re not familiar with the Millionaire’s Shortbread (also known as a caramel square or caramel slice, it’s something I believe was created in the UK); it involves a layer of shortbread, a layer of set caramel, and a top layer of chocolate. It’s a staple in coffee shops, food courts and garden centre cafes. It’s also my dad’s absolute favourite sweet treat, so we see a LOT of it!
We were recently discussing it around the dinner table, and were throwing around some ideas on how to jazz it up a little for modern tastes. I already have an incredible Salted Caramel Millionaire’s Shortbread recipe on the blog, but we thought this treat deserved more than one variation. My ideas were mostly peanut butter or Nutella related, obviously. At some point, one of us mentioned orange and I was instantly into it.
And so, this heavenly Chocolate Orange Millionaire’s Shortbread found itself floating out of the oven this week, and straight into our mouths.
Crumbly and buttery orange-laced shortbread, soft salted orange caramel, and a thick layer of creamy chocolate, topped with dark Terry’s Chocolate Orange slices. Are you dying for these yet, OR ARE YOU DYING??
I’m delighted that these turned out so well. All the flavours and textures are friends, and they leave you wanting another slice right away. I can see many more flavour collaborations involving this old favourite on the horizon…
I really hope you enjoy these if you make them. They take a little time but they are so worth it!
I’m thinking Mint Millionaire’s Shortbread next??
Scroll down to find the full recipe to make these Chocolate Orange Millionaire’s Shortbread!
Thanks again for popping by, see you later!
Chocolate Orange Millionaire’s Shortbread
Chocolate Orange Millionaire's Shortbread; crumbly shortbread base, a layer of salted orange caramel, and a generous layer of orange chocolate too. Mouth watering yet?
Notes
BE A MAVERICK: why not try this recipe using zingy lemon zest instead of the orange zest to make a Chocolate Lemon Millionaire's Shortbread?
Ingredients
For the shortbread:
- 225g (1 ¾ cups) plain flour
- 175g (11 ½ tbsp) butter cubed
- 75g (⅓ cup) caster sugar
- Zest of ½ an orange
For the caramel:
- 180g (12 tbsp) butter
- 397g (1 ⅓ cups) tin of condensed milk
- 4 tbsp golden syrup
- Pinch of sea salt
For the chocolate topping:
- 250-300g (10 oz) milk or dark chocolate
- 1 tbsp butter
- Zest of ½ orange
- Terry's chocolate orange or dark chocolate orange to decorate (optional)
Instructions
For the shortbread:
- First, preheat your oven – 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F / gas mark 4.
- Line a reasonably deep 30 x 20cm (12 x 8in) rectangular baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Measure your flour and sugar into a large bowl and add your cubed butter and orange zest.
- Rub the butter into the flour and sugar until it resembles chunky breadcrumbs. (You can do this by hand or with a food processor)
- Use either your fingers or the back of a spoon to press this mixture down well into your baking tray, it should press into a firm sheet of shortbread dough. (If you feel the mixture is too crumbly, add a little water to help it stick together!)
- Once evenly pressed in, prick the dough all over with a fork to prevent it rising too much as it bakes.
- Bake the shortbread for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and firm to touch.
For the caramel:
- Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and set over a low heat to melt gently.
- Once all your ingredients have melted into a lovely sticky liquid, gently bring your pan to the boil over a medium high heat, stirring constantly over a period of at least 10 minutes.
- By the end of 10-12 minutes, you should have a spoon-coating, thick, golden caramel.
- When you reach your desired colour and thickness, quickly pour the caramel over your shortbread base and gently spread it evenly all over. Be very careful not to splash the caramel or to touch it, it will be VERY hot!
For the chocolate topping:
- Gently melt the chocolate, butter and orange zest together until smooth. You can do this either in the microwave in 30 second bursts or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water.
- Pour the melted mixture over the cooled caramel.
- At this stage, you can gently arrange some Terry's Chocolate Orange segments (milk or dark) on top to decorate.
- Let the chocolate set firmly before slicing into 15-20 bars. You can do this at room temperature or in the fridge, the chocolate may look a little cloudy if set in the fridge though!
- Enjoy!
Love it
Yay – thank you!
I ve made this several times, and I adore the extra Orange in the shortbread, rather than just the chocolate orange melted on top.