Salted Caramel Shortbread

Shortbread

• 175g (1 ½ c) plain flour
• 55g (1/4 c) sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 115g (1 stick) butter, cubed
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
  Method
  Shortbread
• Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F.
• Mix together the flour, salt, and sugar. Mix the butter into the dry ingredients to form breadcrumbs then add the vanilla extract. Continue to work the mixture until it forms a dough. Make sure not to overwork the mixture as this will cause it to become tough rather than the desired crumbly texture.
• Press the dough into the prepared cake tin. You will need to be quite firm to get it to layer straight but that’s fine – we want it to be quite thick so that it cuts neatly.
• Prick the dough with the tines of a fork and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes until the shortbread is a light golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin.
  Caramel
• 1 tin (397ml) condensed milk
• 115g (1 stick) butter
• 110g (1/2 c) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) golden syrup
• Generous pinch of sea salt
  Method
  Caramel 
• Melt the milk, butter and sugar in a saucepan. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring continuously, until the syrup becomes thicker in consistency and darker in colour. When you’re happy with how it looks, stir in the salt.
• Pour caramel over the shortbread and chill until set – about an hour or so in the fridge, and about 30 minutes in the freezer.

Chocolate

• 300g milk chocolate
• 3 tablespoons (45ml) double cream
• 100g white chocolate
  
  Method
  Chocolate
• Melt milk chocolate either by zapping in the microwave in 30-second increments and adding cream or by placing in a heatproof bowl over a gently simmering pot of water and stirring. Once melted add in the double cream and stir until combined and glossy. Pour over the set caramel and coax to the edges with a knife or rubber spatula.
• Quickly – before the milk chocolate has time to set – melt the white chocolate in a similar way. Add streaky teaspoons of the white chocolate to the milk chocolate and, using a toothpick, create a swirl pattern.
  Serve
• Allow to chill in the fridge for an hour before cutting with a knife. To keep edges smooth keep a warm & damp dishcloth nearby. A warm knife will easily cut through the chocolate and by cleaning after every slice there will be no unsightly build-up of crumbs.