This nutty millionaire’s shortbread tastes SO much better than any I’ve ever bought from a shop. I happened to have bags of whole almonds and hazelnuts in the larder, but it would be equally as good if you made it using pecans, Brazil nuts or walnuts. Cashew butter instead of peanut in the shortbread could be a good alternative to try too!
Nutty millionaire’s shortbread
Ingredients
- For the shortbread
- 125 g/4oz butter softened
- 2 tbs peanut butter smooth or crunchy
- 75 g/3oz caster sugar
- 75 g/3oz cornflour
- 175 g/6oz plain flour
- For the topping
- 397 g/14oz tin of sweetened condensed milk
- 100 g/3½oz mixed nuts I used ½ & ½ hazelnuts and almonds
- 125 g/4oz plain dark chocolate
Instructions
- To make the caramel topping, put the unopened tin in a heavy-based saucepan and completely cover with water. Cover the saucepan with its lid and boil for about 1½ hours, topping up the water level if needed.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350F/Gas mark 4, 10 minutes before baking.
- Line a 22cm/8inch square cake tin with parchment/greaseproof paper
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light
- Sift in the cornflour and plain flour and mix to form a smooth dough
- Using the back of a dessert spoon, press the mixture evenly into the lined cake tin and prick all over with a fork
- Bake for 20 minutes or until just turning golden brown
- Put the nuts on to a baking tray and toast them in the oven for 10-15 minutes
- Remove the shortbread from the oven and set aside on a wire rack
- Remove the nuts from the oven and wrap them in a clean tea towel. Rub the nuts together to remove most of the skins (especially if you're using hazelnuts or 'red skinned' peanuts)
- Reserve 9 of the nuts, roughly chop the remainder and sprinkle them evenly across the shortbread
- Open the tin of boiled condensed milk (if the contents are quite rigid you can soften it by warming slightly in a saucepan on the stove or decant into a microwaveable container and heat for 20-30 seconds). Pour the caramel over the nuts and spread evenly. Refrigerate while you prepare the chocolate
- Break up the chocolate into pieces and put them into a heat-proof bowl
- Using a saucepan small enough not to allow the bowl to touch the bottom, fill the bowl with just enough water so that it doesn't come into contact with the base of the bowl
- Simmer the saucepan of water until the chocolate has just melted
- Pour the chocolate evenly over the top of the caramel
- Place the whole nuts on top of the chocolate, one for each portion
- Allow to set before slicing into squares & serving
You can parboil the tinned condensed milk in advance and the caramel can be stored for months & months before use. I always have a few cans of 'cooked' condensed milk stored in our larder.
