Marbled Toffee Bars

So from the ridiculous to the sublime. After last week’s glorious cock up we decided to try something out that would give both culinary and visual pleasure. I’ve made millionaire’s shortbread before but haven’t actually made it with shortbread. Usually I just crush up biscuits for the base. But seeing how Conor recreated a risotto recipe recently I felt I could get away with a favourite ‘creation re-creation’ too.

Now there are only so many ways you can combine chocolate, fat, sugar and…more chocolate – and come up with something different. In the end it comes down to aesthetics – how nice can you make it look?

To create Marbled Toffee Bars (or Millionaire’s Shortbread) you’ll need:

For the base

• 250g/2 ½ cups plain (all purpose) flour
• 75g/ scant ½ cup caster (superfine) sugar
• 175g/3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

For the filling

• 90g/7 tbsp unsalted butter, diced
• 90g/1 ½ cup light brown sugar
• 800g (2 cans) sweetened condensed milk

For the topping

• 100g/4 oz plain (semisweet) chocolate
• 100g/4 oz milk chocolate
• 50g/2 oz white chocolate

First get everything ready and read the recipe instructions carefully:

Put the shortbread base ingredients in a bowl and combine with your fingers:

Spread the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and smooth with a spoon. Prick the surface with a fork:

Bake in the oven for about 15 mins or until very lightly golden brown and firm to the touch:

Allow the base to cool. Meanwhile prepare the caramel filling. Gather your ingredients:

Put the sugar, tinned milk and butter in a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for about 10 mins until it starts to darken. But don’t let it get too hot or it will burn. Pour the filling onto the base and smooth out with a spoon:

Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours. Once the filling has set get the topping ready. Melt the three different chocolates in three different bowls.

Pour a strip of dark chocolate along one edge of the pan:

Now a milk chocolate strip and repeat:

Now get the white chocolate and drop dollops of it on top:

Now the fun bit. Get a skewer and drag it through the chocolates to create swirls:

Put in the fridge to set firm:

Cut into slices. Take round to the Grandparents for ‘tea and cake’:

Watch out…

…for thieving….

…little fingers…

Then get the chemistry set out and create something unpleasant – well we’re at Grandma’s – anything goes!