Marissa P's Millionaire Shortbread

Recipe adapted from Liam's recipe on The Great British Baking Show.

Ingredients

For the shortbread dough:

• 175g plain flour
• 90g rice flour, or 60g all-purpose flour + 30g cornstarch
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 85g caster sugar
• 175g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
• ½ tsp vanilla bean paste (paste and extract are interchangeable in a 1:1 ratio by vol)

For the peanut butter:

Chunky natural peanut butter, or

• 150g shelled unsalted peanuts
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp runny honey
• 1–2 tsp peanut oil

For the salted caramel:

• 90ml double cream (sub 58g heavy cream and 26g melted butter)
• 30g liquid glucose (sub corn syrup)
• 185g caster sugar, divided
• 100g salted butter, at room temperature, diced

For the topping:

• 250g 70% dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Instructions

1. If making caster sugar from granulated sguar: To a food processor, blend 85g 90g+185g=275g granulated sugar until texture in between granulated sugar and powdered sugar. Remove 185g of the caster sugar and reserve for steps 5 and 6.

2. Cube 175g butter. To the food processor, add 175g AP flour, 90g rice flour, and ¼ 1/2 tsp salt, and pulse to combine. Add the 175g cubed butter and ½ 1 tsp vanilla paste / extract and blitz until they just come together into a dough. Add 2TBSP, maybe less, water so it comes together. Alternatively, mix the ingredients together in a bowl, then add the butter and vanilla, and rub with your fingertips until the mixture is just beginning to bind.

3. Turn out the dough onto a large sheet of baking paper, gently knead it into a ball, then shape it into a brick. Place another sheet of baking paper on top and, using a rolling pin, roll into a 1cm-thick rectangle at least the size of your mould tray. Use a sharp knife and a ruler to cut bar shapes. Press the bars into each hollow in the mould tray.

   Alternatively, after kneading into a ball, you could just divide into # balls and press into the base of each mould OR put whole thing in my 9x9 square pan.

   Prick with a fork, then chill for 15 minutes. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F.

4. Optionally, place the mould onto a baking tray, and bake the bars for 14–16 minutes, until golden at the edges. Square pan went in oven cold (and dough maybe was a bit too wet with 2T1t extra water), so baked for 24 mins. Take the shortbread out of the oven, place the tray on a wire rack and cool.

   Meanwhile, start making the peanut butter. Tip the 150g peanuts into a baking tray and dry-roast on the oven shelf beneath the shortbread, for 10–12 minutes, until golden, then remove and allow to cool.

   If homemaking pb, clean food processor for Step 4.

5. Continue making the peanut butter. Put 100g of the roasted peanuts, and ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp honey, and 1-2 tsp peanut oil in a processor and blitz to a paste. Set aside.

   If using pre-made peanut butter, put the reserved 50g peanuts in the processor and chop up.

6. To make the caramel, slowly heat 63mL / 4.2 TBSP / .27c / 57.5g heavy cream and 27mL / 1.815 TBSP melted butter (can melt cold butter right in saucepan) and ½ 1 tsp vanilla in a small pan until almost boiling. As soon as the mixture begins to boil, remove from the heat and set aside.

   It seems unnecessary that the cream be heated in advance bc when cream mixture added in Step 6, did not sputter. Try skipping next time; just measuring out cream and vanilla. The 1.8 TBSP butter can be added to the butter in step 7.

7. Meanwhile in a separate heavy bottom saucepan, add 30g glucose /corn syrup (Added 2.5g extra corn syrup bc less concentrated than glucose- try extra 5g next time) and 60g of the sugar and over a medium–low heat. Do not be tempted to stir the mixture or it could crystalise. Instead, swirl the pan. If needed, brush down the sides of the pan with a little water to dissolve any crystals that might form around the edge. Once sugar is dissolved and a light straw colour, proceed to step 6.

8. Add the remaining 185-60=125g caster sugar and heat for 15–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until dissolved. Took about 18mins. Remove from the heat, then add the heated “double” cream mixture. Return the pan to a low heat and stir continuously with a wooden spoon, until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.

9. Stir in 100g+1.815 TBSP diced rt butter, salt, then mix in 2 tablespoons of the peanut butter and the chopped peanuts.

   Return to the heat and cook until it reaches 120°C/248°F- try 245F next time so a little sweeter and softer on a sugar thermometer.

   If you do not have a sugar thermometer, you can check to see if it is at the correct stage by dropping ½ tsp of mixture into a bowl of cold water. Leave to cool for a moment, then pick up the ball and if it is pliable, sticky and can be moulded in your fingers, then it should be at the correct stage.

   Spoon 1 rounded tablespoon of the peanut caramel on top of each shortbread bar (still in the mould tray) and spread evenly. Poured straight over shortbread. Chill at room temp until set.

10. Melt 165g 250g of the chocolate rounds in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until it reaches 45°C/113°F on a sugar thermometer. Stir in the remaining chocolate to melt. Pour this over the caramel-topped shortbread bars and spread evenly. Chill in fridge for about 1 hour, until firm. Pop out of the moulds to serve.