Fruitcake Millionaires Shortbread Bars

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Hi!

Shortbread covered in caramel and chocolate, can there be a better ménage à trois of flavors?! I don't think so. I've always gravitated towards chocolate and caramel, as well as shortbread, so millionaire shortbread bars have still held a soft spot for me. No matter where I am if they are there, I am on them. So it was a no brainer that I wanted to create my own for this month's Bakemas and when I was thinking about how I could play with the flavors without taking away from the harmony of the three base ingredients. 

I came up with turning this classic into a "fruit cake" on a whim. When I was developing my mincemeat for my Mincemeat Brioche Tarts, I had a lot of chopped fruit remaining on the counter. When it came time to finalize this recipe for today, I was still without a new variation, and I saw the chopped fruit and the lightbulb finally lit up, fruit in the shortbread. The rest just came right to me, fruit cake! 

I played around with the NYTimes Cooking's version for the caramel until I came to one I loved to most. Adding the traditional fruitcake spices to the caramel, pairing that with the buttery fruit packed shortbread, really gives you the essence of a fruitcake, finished off with the snap of the dark chocolate and flaky salt. This new take on such a delicious classic is perfect for the holidays, and they make amazing gifts to friends, colleagues, and family! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

If you do bake these bars, and I hope you do, I'd love to share the moment with you. Tag me on Instagram @foxandcrane and use my hashtag #foxandcrane so I may see your "Fruitcake" Millionaire's Shortbread Bars!  

xo -Jase

…Good to Knows…

• This is 3-step recipe. For assembly, each layer leads right into the next layer.

• I strongly suggest you allow sufficient cooling times for the spiced caramel and chocolate layer. The caramel gives off the illusions that it’s set, but it may still be very viscous in the center, even when cool to the touch. For best results, allow spiced caramel to set overnight for clean, non-gooey, slices.

• If you don’t have a 9-inch square pan, you may use an 8-inch square and the bars will be just a bit thinker. Note: Adjust baking time for thicker shortbread. Also, you may use a 9-inch round and slice the bars into wedges.

• If you do bake these, I’d love to share in the moment with you. Tag me on instagram @foxandcrane and use my hashtag #foxandcrane so I may see your baking adventures. 

…Provisions…

Surface: Erickson Surfaces

Wire Rack: Vintage
Knife: Vintage
Porcelain bowls: Vintage

For a full list of recipes, check out the Recipe Index

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Fruitcake Millionaires Shortbread Bars

…makes 9 squares, 16 bars…

Caramel adapted from NYTimes Cooking.

Dried Fruit Shortbread
169g (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
90g dark brown sugar
255g all purpose flour
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp vanilla bean paste, or the seeds from one vanilla bean pod
20g dried cranberries, finely chopped
20g dried currants or raisins, finely chopped
20g dried apricots, finely chopped
20g dried pineapple, finely chopped
20g candied ginger, finely chopped

Spiced Caramel
113g (1 stick) unsalted butter
200g dark brown sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
60g golden syrup or light corn syrup
397g (14 ounce can) sweetened condensed milk
30ml (2 tbsp) spiced rum
1 tsp vanilla bean paste, or the seeds from one vanilla bean pod

Dark Chocolate
300g dark chocolate, finely chopped
15g (1tbsp) neutral oil, like grapeseed or safflower

Optional Garnishes
flaky salt
cocoa nibs
crispy chocolate pearls
sprinkles

…METHOD…

Dried Fruit Shortbread 
As always, gather, weigh out, and prepare all ingredients prior to mixing. Preheat the oven to 375˚f/190˚c with rack in center position. Spray a 9-inch square pan with nonstick spay and line with parchment paper. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla on high speed until pale yellow and smooth. Now add flour and salt and mix on medium speed until evenly combined. Add in dried fruits and mix just until well distributed. If the dough seems very crumbly and dry, that is okay. You will be pressing it into the pan to create the bottom layer. 

Place the dough into your prepared, parchment-lined pan and press the dough down until you have a smooth, flat layer. Using a fork, dock (poke) holes into the dough. 

Place into the 375˚f/190˚c preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the shortbread is a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before preparing caramel layer.

Spiced Caramel
In a medium sauce pan, add butter, sugar and golden or corn syrup and heat mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until melted.

Now add sweetened condensed milk and with a heatproof spatula, continue to stir mixture until it has thickened, is bubbling and reads 225˚f/107˚c on an instant-read or candy thermometer. Approx 6-8 minutes. Note: Pay attention to the bottom of the pan and lower the heat if needed to prevent the caramel from scorching.

Stir in spiced rum and vanilla. Immediately pour the caramel over cooled shortbread, quickly spreading it into an even layer using an off-set spatula. The caramel will begin to set within 1-2 minutes. Allow the caramel to fully set, 4 hours but ideally overnight, before finishing with the final layer.

Dark Chocolate
In a meduim-sized, heatproof bowl, add chocolate and place over a pot of simmering water, ensuring that the bowl does not touch the water. With a rubber spatula, stir chocolate until the chocolate is fully meld, smooth and silky. Do not allow the chocolate to boil.

Remove bowl from heat, stir in neutral oil, and immediately pour melted chocolate over cooled, set caramel, swirling the pan to evenly distribute the chocolate. Allow the chocolate to set for 10 minutes before topping with your chosen garnishes. Before garnishes, if you would like a swooshy chocolate top, use an off-set spatula. Allow chocolate to set for 2 hours before slicing into bars, Enjoy!

Fruitcake Millionaire’s Shortbread Bars can be stared in an air-tight container for up to a week!

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