What We Ate Wednesday--No Bake Millionaire Shortbread

Hello lovelies! I wanted to make something decadent, but easy and reasonably healthy last week and so I was googling recipes and hit the motherlode. This recipe from the blog Fit Mitten Kitchen and it was really impressive. At first, I was worried because it seemed to make such a small amount (you make it in a loaf pan) because we are two greedy vegans, but they are so rich that a little dab will satisfy you. Spiderman said, “I can’t believe I am saying this and I have never uttered this phrase in my life but one really is enough.”

This is also a no bake recipe as the weather has hotted up again. It is easy to make, takes about a half hour in total with some fridge chilling time for each layer as you make the next layer. It is made with mostly wholefood ingredients and was all stuff I had in my pantry.

Millionaire Shortbread is something I only ever remember eating in the UK. Is there a US equivalent? I guess it is like a posh Twix. You have a layer of shortbread at the bottom, then a layer of caramel in the middle and topped with chocolate. Mmmmmm. Let’s get cracking.

For once I have made this recipe almost exactly like it says to (I did have a few tiny tweaks because I cannot help myself). This recipe came from FIT MITTEN KITCHEN

Millionaire Shortbread

First line a loaf tin with (reusable) parchment paper letting it hang over the sides to make it easy to get out later.

shortbread crust:

1/2 cup + 3 TBS coconut flour (70g)

1/4 cup liquid sweetener—she used maple syrup, I used golden syrup, but agave would work too

1/4 cup extra virgin  coconut oil, melted and cooled

Mix everything in your food processor and pulse til combined. Or mix in a bowl, but that takes more elbow grease. Spoon into parchment lined loaf tin and press down to an even layer. Then pop in the fridge and rinse out your food processor to make the caramel.

date caramel:

Soft, squidgy dates, 1 cup loosely packed (175g), pitted

1-2 TB non-dairy milk (I used soya milk)

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Pinch of salt (optional)

I also layered on some salted peanuts because I had them but probably wouldn’t use them again. I would suggest a pinch of salt to this section because salted caramel.

Add everything to your food processor starting with 1 TB of milk and blend until you have a thick caramel. I needed to use a second TB of milk. You may need to stop and scrape down a few times whilst blending.  Then spread on your shortbread and pop back in the fridge. If the caramel is too sticky to spread, use a wet spatula. 

chocolate layer:

100g dairy free chocolate bar (or equivalent of vegan chocolate chips)

1 tsp extra virgin coconut oil

Melt chocolate and coconut oil together in medium microwave safe bowl in 15 second increments, stirring in between until fully melted. Or do it like I do it in a bain marie by putting a glass bowl on top of a pot with an inch of simmering water. It takes longer this way, but we don’t have a microwave.  Pour melted chocolate into pan and spread smooth.

Place pan in fridge and allow bars to set for 20-30 minutes (Don’t put the bars in freezer here as it makes the crust too hard).

Once the bars have set, lift the (reusable) parchment paper out and place on cutting board. Using a large sharp knife slice bars into 8 squares. She got 16 bars out of it. We made it into 8—so I guess we are still greedy vegans.

Bars can be enjoyed at room temperature but store in container in fridge.

These were so rich and decadent. Worth it for the date caramel alone. This would easily impress nonvegans and vegans alike.