makes
14
prep
10 minutes
cook
40 minutes
difficulty
Easy
makes
14
serves
preparation
10
minutes
cooking
40
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
For the base
- 150 g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 75 g caster sugar
- 175 g plain flour
- A pinch of fine salt
- 25 g fine semolina or ground rice
For the salted caramel filling
- 120 g condensed milk
- 60 g golden syrup
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 150 g soft light brown sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
For the topping
- 200 g dark chocolate (I use chocolate with 40% cocoa solids, like Bourneville)
- 50 g macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
Cooling time: 1 hour
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 150°C/Gas 2. Grease a shallow 27 cm x 18cm baking tin and line it with baking parchment.
- To make the base, in a bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the flour, salt and semolina or ground rice and mix with a spoon and then your hands to form a smooth dough; try not to overwork it.
- Press the mixture into the prepared tin and prick the surface all over with a fork. Bake for 35–40 minutes until pale but cooked through.
- For the salted caramel filling, weigh all the ingredients except the salt into a pan. Melt over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, and then bring to the boil. As it boils, keep stirring – the caramel bubbles will become larger and the mixture will thicken and turn a rich, glossy caramel colour.
- Pour the caramel evenly over the shortbread, sprinkle on the sea salt flakes and leave to cool and set.
- For the topping, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
- Pour the melted chocolate over the caramel layer so it is completely covered, spread to level and smooth the surface with a palette knife. Scatter over the macadamia nuts. Leave to set completely then cut into bars.
Extract from A Baker's Life by Paul Hollywood (Bloomsbury, $39.99).
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
