Publised on 21/02/2024. Last Updated on 18/09/2024 by Richard
Vegan millionaire shortbread like no other! Crumbly shortbread biscuit topped with smooth, stretchy caramel covered in dark chocolate.
Every day I've spent not eating vegan millionaire shortbread has been a day wasted! It's such a nostalgic treat for me and yet, now that I'm eating it, it's also a pretty grown-up dessert!
When I was growing up, my brother would ALWAYS ask for millionaire shortbread at the bakery. He doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, and I honestly don’t think he even liked millionaire shortbread very much - he just liked the notion that eating like a millionaire might make him into a millionaire.
I, on the other hand, LOVE vegan millionaire shortbread and couldn’t care less about being a millionaire (give me an oven and a well stocked pantry and I’m happy!). So let's get on with it!
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🍫 Vegan Millionaire Shortbread Ingredients
Three layers, a handful of ingredients, the most delicious vegan millionaire shortbread you've ever tasted! Every one I've ever tried in the past has that weird gritty caramel that doesn't stretch, so I've tweaked this recipe to give it the PERFECT vegan caramel! Smooth and silky, like the caramel in Rolos (if you remember those?).
Vegan Millionaire Shortbread Ingredients
- Plain white flour (aka all-purpose flour)
- Icing sugar (aka confectioners sugar)
- Pinch fine sea salt
- Vegan butter
Caramel Ingredients
- Vegan butter
- Golden syrup (or light corn syrup)
- Light brown sugar
- Caster sugar (aka superfine sugar)
- Soy milk
- Vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
- Pinch flaky sea salt
Chocolate Layer Ingredients
- Vegan dark chocolate (or roughly chopped chunks, use a vegan variety, minimum 54% cacao)
- Coconut oil (deodorized works best)
🥣 How to Make Vegan Millionaire Shortbread
As you can probably guess, vegan millionaire shortbread is a simple case of layering, kind a like my passion fruit bars and my vegan tiramisu! Shortbread, then caramel, then chocolate! But HOW do we make those layers?? Well, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page, but here's an extra little visual walk-through!
1. First, for your vegan millionaire shortbread, bake your shortbread! This is a super simple recipe that comes together in the food processor. Just whizz together until a dough forms then push into the tin and prick with a fork. Bake for 20 mins and you're done!
2. Now make the caramel! This is a little trickier but with the help of a candy thermometer you'll do just fine! You'll need to bring the ingredients to a boil and let them heat to 117c or 242f. Any lower and the caramel won't set properly.
3. Once your caramel has been made and poured over the shortbread, allow it to chill for a while. Then we can add out dark chocolate topping, which has been mixed with a little coconut oil to keep it nice and glossy!
4. And that's it! In my opinion, these vegan millionaire shortbreads are best served from the fridge. At fridge temp, the caramel should be gooey and stretchy, like the caramel in a candy bar!
🔀 Substitutions and Swaps!
- Turn these vegan millionaire shortbread bars into vegan snickers bars! Stir some roasted unsalted peanuts into the caramel right before pouring over the shortbread for a delicious nutty twist!
- Step away from the dark side and use vegan white chocolate for the topping instead. It's great for anyone with a super sweet tooth!
- Double the chocolate fun by replacing 2 tablespoon of the flour in the shortbread for 4 tablespoon dark cocoa powder!
🤷♀️ Vegan Millionaire Shortbread FAQs
A: While my vegan millionaire shortbread recipe calls for plain white flour (all-purpose flour), you can experiment with alternative flours like almond flour or a gluten-free flour blend for a unique twist. Keep in mind that different flours may affect the texture, so adjustments might be needed.
A: Yes, you can try using coconut oil or a plant-based margarine as a substitute for vegan butter in the caramel layer. Each option is likely to affect the intended texture and flavour of the caramel, so do try to use a firm block-style vegan butter if you can find one.
A: Yes, absolutely! If you can find your favourite vegan milk chocolate, this makes a great, sweeter option.
And that's it! My vegan millionaire shortbread recipe is now yours for keepsies! If you love this recipe, I think you'll also love my vegan caramel recipe, my vegan molten lava cakes, and my vegan butterscotch blondies!
Vegan Millionaire Shortbread
Equipment
- heat proof measuring jug
- 23x23cm (9x9 inch) square cake tin
- Food Processor
- candy thermometer
Ingredients
For the Shortbread
- 250 g plain white flour aka all purpose flour
- 75 g icing sugar aka confectioners sugar
- pinch fine sea salt
- 175 g vegan butter
For the Caramel
- 170 g vegan butter
- 200 g golden syrup or light corn syrup
- 170 g light brown sugar
- 100 g caster sugar aka superfine sugar
- 150 ml soy milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- pinch flaky sea salt
For the Chocolate
- 200 g vegan dark chocolate or roughly chopped chunks, use a vegan variety, minimum 54% cacao
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil deodorised works best
Instructions
To Make the Shortbread
- Preheat the oven to 160 °C.
- In a food processor, combine the shortbread ingredients. Pulse until the mixture just starts to hold together as a dough then stop.250 g plain white flour, 75 g icing sugar, pinch fine sea salt, 175 g vegan butter
- Line a 23x23cm (9x9 inch) square cake tin with a sheet of baking parchment. Press the dough into the bottom of the tin, forming a smooth, even layer of dough.
- Prick the dough lightly with a fork all over and place in the preheated oven to bake for 20 minutes or until very lightly golden on top.
- Remove from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool fully in the tin before transferring to the fridge.
To Make The Caramel
- In a large saucepan (larger than you think you need) add all the caramel ingredients except for the vanilla and the salt.170 g vegan butter, 200 g golden syrup, 170 g light brown sugar, 100 g caster sugar, 150 ml soy milk
- Place over a medium heat and stir with a heat-proof spatula until all the butter is melted and the sugars dissolved completely. Using a probe thermometer, bring the caramel to 117c (you may have to increase the heat to get it there, but trust me, it will get there!). At no point should you touch the caramel with your fingers - it's incredibly hot!
- Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and salt and stir to combine.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, pinch flaky sea salt
- Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously, then pour over the shortbread in the tin. Smooth out the surface and then return to the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
For the Chocolate
- Place the chocolate chips in a heat-proof measuring jug and add the coconut oil. Melt in the microwave in short bursts, stirring between each go, until melted.200 g vegan dark chocolate, 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- Pour the chocolate over the chilled caramel layer and then set aside on the counter to set fully. Once set, slice into squares or bars and serve!
Gayord
Hey mate,
Your measurements are completely wrong. Good job! If you swap between metric and US the butter goes from 175g to 1.5 cups. 175g of butter is 0.75 cups.
Ty
Claou
Would the recipe for your caramel sauce work with this? (the one which uses coconut cream)? Just curious as to the difference between this caramel in the recipe and your sauce recipe? Thanks