Caramel Squares are one of my absolute favorites. There is something about the combination of shortbread, caramel and chocolate that will always make me reach for one of these when I have a choice. Now, I have always called this traybake Caramel Squares, but it is known by a variety of names and there can be some variation in the recipes too. I have a couple of very similar recipes called Caramel Crumble, which is what I have made today. The crumble in these Caramel Crumble Squares comes from the crumbly texture of the base, and because the base is made much like a crumble topping.

And yes, you can refer to this as Millionaire’s Shortbread too. But it will always be Caramel Squares to me. I’m sure that I never heard the name Millionaire’s Shortbread used when I was a child.

The caramel part of the recipe includes golden syrup, which I have never had a problem finding here in the US. If you can’t find it, I would recommend using maple syrup or honey instead.

The base for these Caramel Crumble Squares is very simple and straightforward. Just a case of rubbing the butter into the flour and adding the sugar.

The caramel is a little trickier and perfecting this might take some practice. I’m sure that a more modern recipe would tell you the temperature to reach when you’re heating the caramel, but the books I grew up with don’t include details like that. So I suggest you just keep a close eye on it, don’t have the heat too high and stir frequently. It should simmer for a couple of minutes and in that time it will get thicker. The caramel layer will also thicken as it cools.

Caramel Crumble Squares

A crumbly shortbread base topped with caramel and chocolate. A classic traybake.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Servings 9 squares

Ingredients

  

Base

• 3 oz or 85g butter
• 6 oz or 175g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
• 2 oz or 55g sugar

Caramel Layer

• 4 oz or 110g butter
• 3 oz or 85g brown sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• half a can of condensed milk (approximately 7oz/200g)

Topping

• 8 oz or 225g chocolate, melted (milk or dark)

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 350F/180C for a conventional oven.
• Rub the butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs. Then add the sugar and mix well.
• Spread over a lined traybake tin, I used my 8″/20cm square tin, and press down well. This will seem a little crumbly, but it comes together once baked.
• Bake in for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Then allow to cool slightly while you make the caramel. A few cracks may appear in the base, don’t panic as these will be covered with gooey caramel anyway.
• To make the caramel layer, place the butter, syrup, sugar and condensed milk in a small saucepan.
• Melt over a low heat, stirring frequently until the mixture starts to simmer and let it bubble for a few minutes. Remove from heat and pour over the base. Let this sit at room temperature before placing in the fridge to set.
• Melt the chocolate, then spread over the caramel and place in the fridge for a couple of hours, at least. When set, cut into small, sticky pieces. Or large sticky pieces. There’s no judgment here.

Video

Keyword caramel, chocolate, shortbread, traybakes