Caramel Slice

Whoever calls it Millionaires Shortbread is unnecessarily pretentious.

Caramel Slice

This recipe has been adapted from a cookbook I have had for years. I have adjusted the quantities to make a thicker caramel component, and changed around some of the ingredients because vegetable shortening is disgusting. This recipe should be made in an 8 x 8 pan, or similar, but doubles nicely to fit in a 9 x 13 pan. If you double the recipe, the cook times will be longer.

Ingredients:

Base:

125g butter, melted

1 cup/120g self raising flour

1 cup/90g desiccated coconut

1/2 cup/100g granulated or caster sugar

Caramel Filling:

30g butter

75g golden syrup

600g sweetened condensed milk

Topping:

200g dark chocolate

Anything with c.55% cocoa content

30g butter

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F

Line an 8 x 8in baking tray with baking paper

For this batch I used a roughly 8 x 8in silicone pan. I lined it with nothing and the results were excellent. This is a suitable alternative.

Make the Base:

Melt the butter in a larger-than-necessary saucepan over medium-low heat. Once melted, add dry ingredients and just mix until combined.

I use the same measuring cup for all the dry ingredients, which is also apparently a big no-no, but it works.

Press into the prepared (or unprepared) pan.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown

Behold, that magical journey from a raw to a cooked base.

If your oven cooks unevenly, you may have to rotate them halfway through. These may have cooked about 2-3 minutes too long, but it did not make a difference to the finished product. Notice my handprint is missing from the cooked base.

Make the Filling:

In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients for the caramel filling over low heat.

Bring to a boil, stirring gently but constantly until the sauce is thick and darker in colour.

Notice the progression again:

Pour over the base and bake for 10 minutes or so until brown and bubbly, as pictured below through my dirty oven door:

Remove and let cool.

Make the Topping:

Melt butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl, either in a microwave or a double boiler.

Delicately spread over the slice so as not to disturb the caramel.

The finished product should look like this:

You can put a pattern into the chocolate if you feel so inclined. I never do.

Assemble:

When the slices are completely cool, remove them from the pan and cut into desired size.

I usually leave them to sit in the refrigerator overnight as it makes them easier to cut, but a few hours chilling should have the same effect.

Enjoy, and try not to eat too many.

Store in a cool place to prevent melting.