Mini Creme Egg Chocolate Caramel Shortbread
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 18
Ingredients
  • For the shortbread base
  • 200g unsalted butter, softened
  • 75g golden caster or caster sugar
  • 210g plain flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
  • pinch salt
  • For the caramel layer
  • 1 397g can condensed milk (normal sized can)
  • 150g unsalted butter
  • 150g golden caster or caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract (we won't stir this in until the caramel has cooked and cooled)
  • sea salt flakes
  • For the chocolate
  • 300g of chocolate - milk, white, dark or a combination
  • For the Creme Egg topping
  • Creme Eggs, or other sweets or biscuits of your choice
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 180C/gas mark 4/350F and prepare your muffin tin/s by brushing the bottom and sides with melted butter.
  3. For the shortbread
  5. To make your shortbread base, combine the very soft butter with the sugar, and then mix in the flour, vanilla and salt until you have a delicious mess. Pop roughly 1 tbspfull into each muffin hole and press down with your fingers - the shortbread layer should be 1 - 1.5cm thick. Bake for 10 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.
  7. For the caramel layer
  9. 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.
  10. As the sugar dissolves, the mixture will turn from yellow-y to golden, and thicken. Heat gently for approx twenty minutes, with the mixture at a gentle boil (so with the occasional bubble plopping up). STIR IT CONSTANTLY and watch it carefully, turning the heat down if the bubbles get more frequent.
  12. Once it's the thickness of a very thick yoghurt or gravy, remove from the heat and pour into a cold bowl (steel is ideal). Put it into the fridge, or freezer to cool down completely, then stir in the vanilla and a little sea salt. Once cool, pop heaped tablespoonfuls of caramel onto each shortbread base.
  14. For the chocolate
  16. 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.
  17. Pour over your caramel layer, using the back of a spoon to spread around the muffin holes.
  19. For the Creme Egg topping
  21. Separate your Creme eggs or other toppings and push into the chocolate layer while it's still warm and melty.
  22. Pop your tray of shortbreads into the fridge to set (or the freezer if you're in a real rush) - they'll be ready to eat in about thirty minutes.
Recipe by Kerry Cooks at https://kerrycooks.com/mini-creme-egg-chocolate-caramel-shortbread/