It’s a treat, like a candy bar, but more sophisticated than that. What is often called a «millionnaire» shortbread is now a «billionnaire» shortbread (perhaps because of inflation and all that) but moreso because of our evolving palates and taste expectations. We always want more. Like when we were kids and would go out trick-or-treating and we hated getting apples in our candy bags (because they were not supposed to be fruit bags) …
I still remember my last Hallowe’en costume when I was kid trick-or-treating. It was all home-made with flat cardboard panels and thick tubes and white and black paint. I was a STORMTROOPER from Star Wars.
And then as a young adult, for a party in a crazy Parisian nightclub, we made black shiny vinyl skin-tight body-suits, with short platinum silver wigs and a red-flashing LED eye-patch, like some Japanese Manga-styled space pirates.
Time flies.
Back to the recipe that I used to make occasionally over a decade ago, but forgot about it until I fell upon an old file of my old recipe scribblings. I’m happy to share an updated version of it with you today.
Instead of just a simple layer of shortbread cookie base, usually prepared with 300 grams flour and 200 grams sugar and 100 grams butter, it was modified to include roasted and ground nuts powder and some malt powder and some cornstarch to make it tastier and crunchier.
The caramel is not just an added layer but actually a milk caramel center that fits snuggly inside a created indent and is neither too soft nor too hard, just the right chewiness and texture for this treat.
The chocolate layer is just dark chocolate, even though I combined 3 kinds (because it was what I had available in the pantry) and is actually enough to fully dip the shortbbread caramel cookies inside it and completely and thickly coat them.
And those dried fruits and roasted nuts on top are just “billionaire” extras !
To break it down further, its almost equal parts of each. About 600 grams of shortbread cookie dough and 600 grams of caramel filling and 600 grams of coating and topping or 500 grams of melted chocolate and 100 grams dried fruits and nuts.
I’d love to get dressed-up again but those days are long gone (unless I decide to dress up as Jabba the Hut), so let’s make some Hallowe’en treats for those who still can & do dress up . . . :)
