Time for new treats

Thanksgiving is only four days away. Can you believe that? Insanity, I know. October passed by in a hurried flash, and I fear that November has gone by too quickly as well. Since the winter/holiday season is my favorite time of the year, you can understand why I’m a little dismayed about how fast time is passing. I long to savor the cold days by wrapping myself up in big scarves, donning some flat boots, grabbing a cup of coffee, and taking long walks in the crisp cold sun-filled days.I adore the soft glow from the lights in the warm windows, and I am even a sucker for Christmas decorations, even if it’s a little early.

Unfortunately, I’ve been slaving away indoors, soaking up the stale fumes and harsh fluorescent lighting. But before Thanksgiving passed by without me even realizing it, I wanted to share this cookie recipe with you.

As you know, December is the biggest baking month in the year. If you didn’t know, well, now you do. I think I spent last winter in a big cloud of flour and sugar, with bits of butter dangling from my apron and hair. It was gross, yet a little fun. Perfect for a light dessert during a holiday dinner, or as a gift for your family and loved ones, cookies play a big role during Christmas. While I like to bake my traditional favorites (chocolate chunk, peppermint bark chocolate, gingersnaps, snickerdoodles), I wanted to try a new one out this year.

Enter Baked’s Millionaire Shortbread. A three layer cookie comprised of buttery shortbread, gooey sweetened condensed milk, and a thick chocolate ganache, it’s a keeper. All the layers compliment each other beautifully, bringing out the cookies complex flavors. From the butter to the chocolate and sweet milk, your friends and family will love you for bringing this cookie to the table.

I made them for a Thanksgiving potluck at the office, and they stood out proudly amidst the store-bought pecan and pumpkin pies. At first, you think that it’s going to be a simple chocolate covered shortbread cookie, but once you sink your teeth in to them, you realize they are so much more than you had hoped for. Deep, rich, and delightfully sinful, they will render you speechless.

The book doesn’t state this, but the cookie recipe is better when viewed as a two-day project. Bake the shortbread cookies the night before, wrap them tightly, make the caramel layer, and place in the fridge overnight. The next morning, make the chocolate ganache and let cool in the fridge for an hour or two. My cookies were still a little too soft and I wanted to let them cool longer if possible but they were servable with the limited chill period I did. I encountered another small glitch with the sweetened condensed milk. To turn it into thick, sweet caramel, the recipe states to heat the milk in the microwave for 12-18 minutes on 50% power. But after 20 minutes, my caramel layer was still blonde. Instead of messing with it more (it was already 11pm and I was beat) I settled for the blonde caramel layer, but I imagine the cookies would have tasted even better with an honest version of caramel sauce.

Either way, this cookie was devoured quickly at the potluck, and I plan on making these cookies as gifts for the holiday season. Why not try and bring these cookies to your Thanksgiving feast or holiday party? They are way easier to make than complicated layer cakes and taste better than store-bought pies. When you are finally done cooking and cleaning up after the big turkey day feast, these cookies will be a small slice of heaven after a long, tedious day. Go ahead, treat yourself to a big square of this shortbread bar. You won’t be sorry.

Millionaire’s Shortbread
Printable recipe
Origin: Baked by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
Yield: 24-30 bars
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 to 22 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour for chilling

Ingredients:
For the shortbread:
● 1/2 cup sugar
● 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
● 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
● 1 large egg yolk

For the caramel filling:
● 28 ounces sweetened condensed milk, (two 14-ounces cans)

For the chocolate glaze:
● 6 ounces dark chocolate, (60% cacao) coarsely chopped
● 1 tsp light corn syrup
● 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes

Directions:

Make the shortbread:
Preheat the oven to 350℉. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and butter together until blended.
Add two cups of the flour and beat until well combined. Add the egg yolk and beat for a few seconds, or until just combined.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough and your hands with a little flour. Use your hands to gently work the dough into a 6-by-6-inch square. You will have to turn the dough and sprinkle the top with flour as you go. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup flour on the surface of the dough. Fold the dough over and knead until incorporated, then flatten the dough into rectangle. Transfer the rectangle to the prepared pan and press it into the pan.
Prick the dough all over with a fork and bake in the center of the oven for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Make the caramel filling:
Put the sweetened condensed milk in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cook on 50% power for 4 minutes, stirring briskly halfway through until smooth. Cook on 30% power for 12 to 18 minutes, until very thick and caramel colored, stirring briskly every two minutes, until smooth.
Pour the filling over the cooled shortbread and place the pan in the refrigerator until cool, about two hours.

Make the chocolate glaze:
In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the chilled caramel layer and use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.
Put in the refrigerator for one hour, or until the glaze hardens.
Remove the pan from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving so as not to crack the chocolate glaze. Cut into squares and serve.
Bars can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 4 days.