With Easter coming up, I knew I had to share something special with you guys! Cadbury have pretty much got the Easter market cornered, especially with Creme Eggs, which are stuffed into brownies, cheesecakes, cupcakes, and more at this time of year! I always make a special food gift for my fiance for Valentine’s Day, and since his two favorite treats are Creme Eggs and Chocolate Caramel Shortbread, the choice was simple – combine them!
So, I created a decadent homemade Cadbury Creme Egg Chocolate Caramel Shortbread! With a moreish shortbread layer on the base, paired with gorgeous homemade caramel, and topped with a thick layer of milk and plain chocolate. Normally we’d call it a day there… but we’re going to add chopped up Creme Eggs to the top!
Don’t even think about the calories involved! You MUST make this if you’re a Creme Egg fan! Though needless to say this would also taste great with caramel eggs, daim bar eggs or anything else you want to use!
If you’re unfamiliar with any of the ingredients used, here’s a little explanation for you:
- caster sugar – also called superfine sugar in the US – you could also use light brown sugar
- plain chocolate – between milk and dark chocolate but may be billed as ‘dark’ chocolate in your local supermarket – plain has between 50 and 60% cocoa solids, such as Bournville. I always use the cheapest one available or you could use dark chocolate if you can’t find it
Getting your caramel to set
Making caramel is notoriously tricky, so read the instructions below carefully before starting out and stir your caramel CONSTANTLY as it cooks. While I give some guideline timings below, you need to keep cooking your caramel until its the consistency of a very thick yoghurt or gravy, and then allow it to cool completely in a bowl (not the saucepan you cooked it in) until it’s very thick (it should stay on your spoon and not drop off).
- For the shortbread base
- 150g / 5.3 ounces / 1 stick plus 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 50g / 1.7 ounces / ¼ cup golden caster sugar
- 160g / 5.6 ounces / 1⅓ cups plain flour
- For the caramel layer
- 1 397g can condensed milk (normal sized can)
- 150g / 5.3 ounces / 1 stick plus 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 150g / 5.3 ounces / ¾ cup golden caster sugar
- For the chocolate
- 100g / 3.5 ounces / ½ cup milk chocolate
- 200g / 7 ounces / 1 cup plain chocolate
- For the Creme Egg topping
- 3 Cadbury Creme Eggs (or however many you want - go crazy!)
- Preheat your oven to 180C/gas mark 4/350F and prepare a square or rectangular tin that's roughly 9 inch square (if you use a smaller tin, your Shortbread will just be thicker).
- For the shortbread
- To make your shortbread base, combine the very soft butter with the sugar, and then mix in the flour until you have a delicious mess. Pop into your tin, and work into the corners with the back of a wet spoon (it's sticky!). Prick with a fork all over, and bake for 25-30 minutes (depending on oven shelf - mine was on the middle shelf) or until golden brown (see photo in post). Remove and leave to cool COMPLETELY before you add the caramel layer.
- For the caramel layer
- To make your caramel, combine the condensed milk, butter and sugar together in a saucepan over a very low heat. Stir constantly as the mixture melts together. Once it's all melted, increase the heat to medium, but be sure to stir it constantly.
- As the sugar dissolves, the mixture will turn from yellow-y to golden, and thicken (see pictures below). Heat gently for approx ten minutes, until it's come to a gentle boil (it should JUST be bubbling slightly and you should be stirring constantly and watching it like a hawk). Once it's the thickness of a very thick yoghurt or gravy, remove from the heat and pour into a cold bowl to cool down completely. Once cool, pour it onto your shortbread layer.
- For the chocolate
- Simply break your two bars of chocolate into chunks and pop into a microwave proof bowl. Heat on 30 second intervals until soft, not forgetting to remove and stir after every 30 seconds. Be careful - the bowl may get very hot! When it's almost melted, remove from the microwave as the residual heat will continue to melt the chocolate.
- Pour over your caramel layer, using the back of a spoon to spread into the corners.
- For the Creme Egg topping
- I separated the creme eggs as much in half as possible, then just placed 'artistically' on top of the still melty chocolate layer.
- Chill in the fridge for 2 hours, or overnight. Use a very sharp knife (dip in boiling water if you're having trouble cutting) to cut into squares.
Pin it for later
If you’re looking for even more Creme Egg Bakes inspiration, check these out!
Creme Egg Cheesecake by Taming Twins
- Creme Egg Cupcakes by My Baking Addiction
- Creme Egg Cheesecake by Iced Jems
- Creme Egg Brownies by My Sugar Coated Life
Be warned – this stuff is ridiculously addictive! It won’t stick around for long and you will be eating a bit with breakfast, lunch and dinner!
x Kerry
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Leasah says
February 4, 2016 at 12:37 pmim about to try and make these today hopefully they will go down a treat x
Leasah says
February 4, 2016 at 12:39 pmi messed up and bought golden granulated sugar will this make much difference and should i just keep stirring for longer with it being a different consistancy sugar
Kerry Cooks says
February 4, 2016 at 1:08 pmHmm! If you’re already making it, persevere – the sugar should still melt but may take longer. If you haven’t started yet, I’d get some caster instead.
kathryn says
February 3, 2016 at 9:17 pmHi I’ve started making this and my caramel hasn’t turned out as caramel just tastes like condensed milk still but left it on as long as you said and stirred constantly what have I done wrong?
Kerry Cooks says
February 3, 2016 at 9:21 pmIt’s possible the heat wasn’t high enough – that’s what turns the butter, sugar and condensed milk into caramel. You could also use tinned caramel if you’d rather not make it that way 🙂
Christine Rosenthal says
February 2, 2016 at 11:04 pmCan I make this recipe with gluten free all purpose flour?
Kerry Cooks says
February 3, 2016 at 10:02 amI haven’t tried – let me know how you get on!
Helen at Casa Costello says
January 28, 2016 at 12:47 amOH I completely love Creme Egg season – I have a stash already. Looking forward to getting creative in the kitchen once again with these beauties. Love your shortbread.
Ren Behan says
January 27, 2016 at 6:02 pmYay Creme Egg time! Great news 🙂
Sophie says
January 27, 2016 at 5:10 pmI need these in my life now. Creme eggs mixed with one of my favourite sweet treats?! Yes please!
Katie Bryson says
January 27, 2016 at 1:25 pmMy goodness what a fabulous recipe!!! My boys would go wild for this, and suitably wild on a sugar rush afterwards I suspect! I am SO making this 🙂
Kerry Cooks says
January 27, 2016 at 2:09 pmHahaha! Please film that so I can see 🙂
Jill says
March 31, 2015 at 3:28 pmBrilliant! I can’t wait to make this. Thank you for doing the conversions, so this U.S. girl can enjoy it with ease! Except I know you have much yummier chocolate across the sea.
Kerry Cooks says
March 31, 2015 at 3:31 pmThanks so much Jill!
Elizabeth Martin says
March 10, 2015 at 2:53 pmJust wondering what size pan you used to bake the shortbread layer in?
Dave says
March 8, 2015 at 10:15 pmLove this recipe; The caramel layer is amazing but not helping the diet!
My only problem is that I can’t get the shortbread layer to work. It basically just comes out as crumbs and falls away from the rest when it is sliced.
Any ideas about what I’m doing wrong would be much appreciated!
diane phillips says
March 7, 2015 at 4:20 pmI made the crème egg shortbread, absolutely amazing, already have the ingredients to make again.
maggie says
March 7, 2015 at 9:12 amHi i made this but the caramel will not set it is very runnyi left it to set before putting the chocolate on and now it has 2 hard layers and a soft layer of caramel in between
sarah says
March 6, 2015 at 8:46 pmgonna make these for the family. woot. 🙂
Natalie says
March 6, 2015 at 4:01 pmI’ve just had a go at this & my attempt at caramel has burnt. Quite badly. I couldn’t find the pictures to compare it to so after it started bubbling, I left it on (not for very long) as it hadn’t gone golden, but was still yellow. It just tastes like butter & sugar. Could I use a shop bought caramel as I can’t make it myself? It’s my 2nd time baking & I’m not very good. x
Kerry Cooks says
March 6, 2015 at 4:19 pmOf course you can Natalie! It might be a bit runny but it should be be really tasty
Sally says
March 4, 2015 at 10:42 pmDoes it matter if you use normal butter which isn’t unsalted? Thanks
Sally recently posted…Blueberry and Coconut Oat Bars
Kerry Cooks says
March 5, 2015 at 10:04 amHi Sally – no that will be absolutely fine 🙂
Michelle says
March 3, 2015 at 4:00 amHi this looks delicious, but I don’t mean to be dumb but what is the difference between milk chocolate and plain chocolate. By plain chocolate do you mean dark cooking chocolate?
Kerry Cooks says
March 3, 2015 at 7:50 amHi Michelle, no worries! Plain chocolate is between milk and dark so milk is about 33% cocoa, plain is 55% and dark is 70% and up. It may well be sold as dark cooking chocolate too. If you have bournville where you live, that’s plain chocolate.
Having said that, you can use any kind of chocolate you want on top – milk, plain or dark, or even a combo or milk and dark
Jackie says
March 4, 2015 at 4:24 amWhat is caster sugar?
Kerry Cooks says
March 4, 2015 at 11:54 amHi Jackie – what country are you in? In the US it is called superfine sugar and it might have another name in your country, but it will be the sugar you’d normally use for baking
David says
February 9, 2015 at 11:01 amWow! Racing out now to get ingredients!! Looks Amazing Thanks
efwalt says
April 5, 2014 at 11:47 amWoah this is some seriously indulgent stuff!!! I don’t know if I could handle the sickly-sweetness but they sound amazing 🙂 Em at Supper in the Suburbs x
Kerry Cooks says
April 5, 2014 at 7:40 pmThanks Emma! It is SUPER sweet, and yet you keep going back for one more teeny bit!
Holly says
March 5, 2014 at 12:14 pmOh good god- looks absolutely amazing! and sooooo un-diet friendly!
Kerry Cooks says
March 5, 2014 at 12:28 pmDefinitely not for those on a diet haha!
Kat says
March 4, 2014 at 10:36 pmGenuis idea Kerry! I need to bake something creme eggy soon!
Karen Mottram says
March 2, 2014 at 8:02 pmHi Kerry
Thanks so much for sharing all your brilliant recipes. I have one problem with this however, Cadbury Cream Eggs are NOT Fairtrade and rely on child slave labour…horrific but true. Just want anyone contemplating buying them to know.
Thanks, Karen
Kerry Cooks says
March 2, 2014 at 8:24 pmThanks for your feedback Karen – and thanks for pointing out that Creme Eggs aren’t fairtrade – especially relevant during fairtrade fortnight!
Simon says
March 4, 2015 at 1:08 pmHi Karen,
I am totally against child labour and slavery but I am not convinced that every non-Fairtrade certified organisation actively uses the products of exploitative labour. I would be really interested in seeing any evidence you have for this statement.
Thanks Simon
barry says
February 7, 2016 at 7:52 pmHi I have have just read you post about Cadbury cream eggs being made by child slave labour, the Cadbury factory is very near me and I can assure you not one child works there and the youngest being 17 after leaving school where a lot of my friends work
Liana says
March 2, 2014 at 2:16 pmAww, thanks for featuring my recipe Kerry! Your shortbread looks DANGEROUS for my waistline…but oh sooooo good 🙂
Elizabeth says
March 4, 2015 at 1:56 amI was wondering what (golden caster suger is) is it like our
light brown sugar here in the states?
Kerry Cooks says
March 4, 2015 at 11:55 amHi Elizabeth – its probably between regular white superfine sugar and light brown sugar, but you can absolutely use light brown sugar and it will work just as well and probably be even more delicious!