Fruit & Nut Caramel Shortbread

5 from 5 votes

Fruit & Nut Caramel Shortbread is a simple twist on classic Millionaire’s Shortbread. Rich & buttery shortbread biscuit is topped with raisins, cranberries and nuts, then covered in thick, smooth caramel and a thin layer of milk chocolate. These bars are a real treat.

Prep Time30

Cook Time40

Total Time1 10

Course: Baking - traybakes, Dessert

Cuisine: Worldwide

Servings: Slices

Calories: 453kcal

Author: Jane Coupland

Equipment

30cm x 20cm baking tin

Ingredients

For the Shortbread

120 g/ ⅝ cup Caster sugar
225 g/ 2 sticks Butter, unsalted (softened)
250 g/ 2 cups plain (all purpose) flour
100 g/ ½ cup Semolina (fine)
Pinch Salt

For the Fruit & Nuts

2 tablespoon Dried cranberries
4 tablespoon Raisins
2 tablespoon Peanuts (unsalted, shells removed)
2 tablespoon Hazelnut (unsalted, blanched)

For the Caramel

1 tin (397g/ 14 oz) Condensed Milk
110 110g/ ½ cup Dark brown sugar
85 g/ ¾ stick Butter (unsalted)
2 tablespoon Golden syrup
½ teaspoon Sea salt flakes (optional)

For the Chocolate Topping

200 g/ 1 ⅓ cups Milk Chocolate
40 g/ ¼ cup Dark Chocolate

Instructions

Make the Shortbread

Preheat oven to 150C/ 200F/ GM2 and line a 30cm x 20cm baking tin (at least 2.5 cm/ 1 " deep) with baking parchment
Put all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and rub the butter into the dry ingredients. At first it will resemble breadcrumbs but keep on rubbing in until it comes together in a dough
Spread the dough out evenly into the base of the baking tin, press down firmly and evenly. Prick all over with a fork and bake for 30-40 mins until golden
Let cool

Add the Fruit & Nuts

Roughly chop the hazelnuts and peanuts then scatter over the cooled shortbread
Likewise, scatter the cranberries and raisins over the shortbread

Make the Caramel

Grind the sea salt using a pestle and mortar
Put all of the caramel ingredients (except the salt) into a heavy based pan set over a medium heat. Stir frequently until the sugar has dissolved
Turn up the heat slightly, and allow to boil gently until the temperature reaches 112°C – 115°C (234°F – 240°F). This is the soft ball stage. If you do not have a sugar thermometer, you can test for readiness by dropping a small amount of the caramel into some chilled water - it should form a firm ball that does not flatten when removed from the water, but squishes when squeezed
Once the caramel is ready, take the pan off the heat, add the salt, then stir thoroughly. Plunge the bottom of the pan into cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside and allow to cool for 5 minutes
Stir well, then pour over the shortbread, fruit & nuts. Set aside for at least 2-3 hours to firm up and cool completely

For the Chocolate Topping

Melt the milk chocolate and the dark chocolate and spread over the caramel layer
Working quickly, pour the milk chocolate over the caramel and spread it out to cover it entirely. Pipe or drizzle thin lines of dark chocolate over the milk chocolate and drag a cocktail stick through the chocolate to create a feathered effect
Allow to cool and set before cutting into squares (tip: if you can be patient, using a warm knife to score through the chocolate helps to stop the chocolate cracking in all directions and gives you neater squares).
Keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days

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