Billionaire's Shortbread

and an update on my annual Holiday Dessert Boxes

The week is over, and all dessert boxes for the year have been prepped, packaged, and sent (it took me around 4-5 days to prepare during the work week).

As I shared last week, I bake an assortment of desserts (not just cookies) every year and send them as gifts to family and friends during the holidays (the menu for this year’s dessert box is below if you want to draw inspiration from it or use it as a guide for your holiday baking).

Each year, the most popular and highly-requested dessert is my take on millionaire’s shortbread: billionaire’s shortbread.

Rather than the three-layered classic consisting of shortbread, caramel, and chocolate, my billionaire’s shortbread is taken to the next level (if I do say so myself) with a salted caramel chocolate ganache that sits on a tender yet simple shortbread.

It’s incredibly simple to make. Here’s how:

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BILLIONAIRE’S SHORTBREAD

Makes 16 Shortbread Bars | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Rest Time: about 3 hours

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Ingredients

Shortbread

• 2 cups (260g) All-Purpose Flour

• 2 Tbsp (16g) Cornstarch

• 1/4 cup (60g) White Cane Sugar

• 1/2 tsp (2g) Kosher Salt

• 1 cup Unsalted Butter, melted

Salted Caramel Chocolate Ganache

• 1/4 cup (55 g) chopped Dark Chocolate (anywhere from 60% to 72%)

• 1/2 cup (110 g) chopped Milk Chocolate

• 3/4 cup Brown Sugar

• 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter

• 3/4 cup Heavy Cream

• 1 tsp Kosher Salt

• For garnish: Flaky Sea Salt

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Instructions

Prepare the Shortbread

1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and melted butter. Mix until fully combined.

3. Line an 8×8 cake pan with parchment paper on all four sides (this is necessary for removing the shortbread at the end). Place the cookie dough in the parchment-lined pan and press down firmly, ensuring the dough is compact.

4. Place shortbread in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown and the shortbread is fully cooked through.

Prepare the Salted Caramel Ganache

1. Place both chocolates in a medium mixing bowl.

2. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add brown sugar and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes. Add heavy cream and salt and boil for an additional 1-2 minutes, then lower the heat and simmer salted caramel for 6-7 minutes (the consistency should be slightly thicker). Remove the salted caramel from heat and allow it to cool for 1-2 minutes.

3. Pour the salted caramel over the chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate fully melts and the ganache thickens. To ensure an extra silky smooth ganache, use an immersion blender.

Assemble the Billionaire’s Shortbread

1. Pour the salted caramel ganache over the cooled-down shortbread. Garnish with flaky salt. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours to set (or overnight) before slicing into bars and serving.