The Inaugural Recipe... Gluten-Free Millionaire's Shortbread!

When I was growing up, there was a store near my home town called Best of British.  Sadly, they closed when I was a kid (unsurprising considering the demand for rare British products in suburban Philadelphia can't be very high), but the one thing I still remember about that store was that they sold an incredible treat called "millionaire's shortbread."  Imagine a Twix bar on steroids.  This thing was epic:  rich, buttery shortbread beneath a smooth, decadent caramel--finished off with a shiny layer of chocolate.  I used to beg my mom to drive me 15 minutes out of her way when we were out running errands to get this stuff.  After the store closed, I mourned the loss of this beautiful unicorn of a dessert.  Surely, I'd never again taste the sweet crunch of millionaire's shortbread...

Lo and behold, I come to find out a mere 20 years later that it's actually a fairly common British confection (thanks Great British Bake Off) and it's not even that hard to make!  So, I set out to create a gluten-free version.  Traditionalists may balk at the salt in the caramel layer, but who doesn't love a good salted caramel?  Other than that (and the fact that it's gluten-free), I tried to stay pretty close to the original version I remember from all those years ago.

A classic Scottish shortbread is just flour, butter and sugar.  I added a bit of vanilla because I find that it elevates the flavor (depending on what blend you use, gluten-free flours can taste a bit earthy).  Ditto for the salt in the caramel:  if you don't like salted caramel, just leave it out!  Also, my Cuisinart is my bestie and I make everything in it, but if you don't have one, you can definitely go old school and rub the butter into the flour instead (see video link below).  The hardest part of this recipe is making the caramel, but it's definitely not as hard as I made it seem on my first attempt (hint - don't walk away from it to check your Instagram stories --it will burn).

So without further ado, here's the recipe!

Ingredients

      Shortbread:

• 1 1/8 cups gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum (like Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour)
• 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into pats
• 3/8 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

      Caramel:

• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

      Chocolate:

• 1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 
2. Line an 8x8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper, both ways so that it overhangs on all 4 sides.  (Pro tip:  If you grease the pan a bit before lining it, the parchment paper doesn't slide around when you fill it). 
3. In a food processor, pulse the butter and flour together until it is the texture of breadcrumbs.  If you don't have a food processor, rub the butter into the flour, like so:       https://www.bbc.com/food/techniques/rubbing_in.  
4. Add the sugar and vanilla, and blend (or mix, if not using a food processor) until the dough starts to come together and pull away from the sides of the bowl. 
5. Pour the dough mixture into the lined baking pan and press firmly into the bottom of the pan, forming an even layer.  You can use the back of your hand or some of the parchment paper scraps to make the dough even.  Prick the dough all over with a fork to let steam escape.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is a very light golden brown.  Cool the shortbread on a wire rack, or in the fridge if you're pressed for time (or impatient, like me!).
7. While the shortbread cools, make the caramel.  Gently melt the butter in a medium saucepan.  Then, stir in the sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup and salt.  Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 to 20 minutes, stirring very frequently, until the mixture has thickened and turned a golden color.  It should stick to the back of the spoon without sliding off. 
8. Pour the caramel over the shortbread and put the pan back in the fridge to cool completely before adding the chocolate layer.
9. Melt the chocolate chips, either in a glass bowl over boiling water, or in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each one.  (I'm all about the microwave method!)
10. Pour the chocolate over the caramel and shortbread layers, and smooth with a spatula.  Put the pan back in the fridge and allow to cool completely, so that the caramel stiffens up a bit and the chocolate becomes hard.
11. Lift the parchment paper out of the tin, using the overhanging edges, and cut into squares with a sharp knife.  It should yield approximately 25 pieces, depending on how big you cut them.