Salted peanut caramel shortbread recipes

This caramel shortbread, or millionaire’s shortbread, takes Snickers bars as its inspiration. I’ve never really craved Snickers bars themselves, but somehow this biscuit-based spinoff – reimagined with buttery shortbread and a fudgy filling – has been disappearing from my fridge in thick wedges all week long.

For the shortbread
110g butter, softened
50g soft light brown sugar
150g plain flour
50g roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped

For the caramel
400g tin condensed milk
150g crunchy peanut butter
125g soft dark brown sugar
25g butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
100g dark chocolate
50g milk chocolate

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and have a 20cm round spring-form cake tin to hand.

2 Beat the butter until very smooth and soft then stir in the sugar to combine. Add the plain flour and chopped peanuts, and work everything together by mashing it under the back of the spoon. When the ingredients begin to form clumps, finish the making the dough with your hands: press the clumps together to form a very buttery, crumbly dough, and press this into the base of the 20cm cake tin. Pack the crumbs down very firmly under the base of a glass then prick all over with a fork. Transfer to the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.

3 Bake the chilled shortbread in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until it’s a light golden brown all over. It’ll firm as it cools and sets, so don’t be tempted to bake it until it’s perfectlyhard.

4 While the shortbread base cools, prepare the caramel layer: combine the condensed milk, peanut butter and brown sugar in a pan over a medium-low heat. Stir constantly while the mixture heats, and once it reaches a very gentle simmer – with just a few bubbles breaking through the surface – cook and stir for a further 4-5 minutes, until the caramel is thick, smooth and has darkened a shade.

5 As soon as the caramel has cooked, beat in the butter, vanilla extract and salt, pour over the baked shortbread and leave to cool to room temperature.

6 Once the caramel has cooled, melt the chocolates together either in the microwave (in short bursts, stirring regularly) or in a large bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Once melted, pour on to the caramel, lightly ripple it under a knife or spoon and move to the fridge to chill for 10-15 minutes. You can also score the chocolate, marking out servings, before you chill it to prevent the chocolate splintering when you cut the shortbread.