Millionaire Shortbread Tart

This week’s bake is a Millionaire Shortbread Tart from Chef Anna Olson of Oh Yum! The tart has a shortbread crust, with a homemade caramel filling and is topped with chocolate ganache!

The history of millionaire shortbread should start with its base, shortbread, as the indulgent caramel and chocolate version began with the humble shortbread biscuit. Associated with Scotland thanks to brands such as Walkers, Scottish shortbread originated around the 12th Century, but the biscuit we know and love now is attributed to Mary Queen of Scots in the 16th Century

This is because it was said that she liked Petticoat Tails, a thin, crisp, buttery shortbread originally flavoured with caraway seeds. The practice of adding toppings or additions to shortbread is thought to date back to the 19th Century, when almonds and candied peel were added for special occasions.

Millionaire or millionaire's shortbread consists of a shortbread based, topped with a thick layer of caramel, topped with chocolate. It's a three stage process that starts with making shortbread, cooling this then pouring on caramel, letting this cool then spreading on melted chocolate.

While there's no definitive evidence for when millionaire shortbread was created, it is thought that it originated in Scotland. It is very sweet and rich, which is one of the reasons given for its decadent name.

Here is the recipe:

Millionaire Shortbread Tart

from Anna Olson of Oh Yum

Makes one 9-inch fluted tart

Serves 8 to 10

• Ingredients •

Pâte Sablée:

½ cup + 2 Tbsp (145 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup + 2 Tbsp (80 g) icing sugar, sifted

1 large hard-boiled egg yolk

1 large egg yolk

½ tsp vanilla extract

1¾ cups (230 g) cake & pastry flour, sifted

¼ tsp fine salt

egg white

Caramel:

1 tsp (3.5 g) gelatin powder

1 Tbsp (15 mL) cold water

2 Tbsp (30 mL) water

½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar

3 Tbsp (60 g) glucose syrup

¾ cup (175 mL) whipping cream

¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter

1 tsp flaked sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling

Chocolate ganache:

8 oz (240 g) dark baking/couverture chocolate, chopped

2 Tbsp (40 g) glucose syrup

1¼ cups (310 mL) whipping cream

¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Instructions

Cookie Crust Base

Beat the butter and icing sugar together in large bowl until smooth

Add eggs

Push hard-boiled egg yolk through a sieve into a separate bowl and stir into raw egg yolk and vanilla. Add to the butter mixture and stir until blended.

Add flour and salt to the butter mixture and stir until blended

Chill the dough

Shape the dough into a disc (it will be very soft), wrap in plastic and chill until firm, up to 2 hours. You can prepare the dough ahead of time and freeze, well wrapped in plastic, for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before using.

Roll the chilled dough

On a lightly floured work surface, gently knead the dough to soften, then roll it out to a circle about 12 inches (30 cm) across and ¼-inch (6 mm) thick. Carefully lift and line a 9-inch (23 cm) removable-bottom fluted tart pan, press it into the bottom and sides and trim away any excess dough. Chill tart shell up to 30 minutes.

Bake the tart shell

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Place chilled tart shell onto a baking tray and dock the bottom of the pastry with a fork. Bake the tart shell for about 20 minutes, until edges just begin to brown and then immediately brush with egg white. Cool tart shell to room temperature.

Caramel Filling

Soften the gelatin in a dish with the 1 Tbsp (15 mL) cold water and set aside for later.

Add 2 Tbsp (30 mL) water to saucepan, then add sugar and glucose syrup

Boil the sugar

Without stirring, bring the sugar to a full boil over high heat. Occasionally brush the sides of the pot with water at the boiling line to prevent crystallization, for about 4 minutes, until the sugar turns a rich amber colour.

Whisk in new ingredients

Remove pan from heat and carefully whisk in cream as a steady stream (watch out for a burst of steam). Keep whisking until caramel stops bubbling. Whisk in softened gelatin until dissolved. Whisk in butter, followed by sea salt. Set the caramel aside to cool for about 30 minutes.

Fill and chill the pie shell

Pour cooled caramel into the baked tart shell. Chill for another 30 minutes.

Chocolate Topping

Make the ganache

Have the chocolate ready in a bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream and butter to a full simmer over medium heat. Add glucose to chocolate, then pour saucepan mixture on top. Let sit for a minute, then gently stir together until smooth.

Finish and chill

Pour the ganache over the now-chilled caramel layer and refrigerate the tart for a full 2 hours. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and serve.

Store the tart, uncovered, in the fridge until serving. Once cut, loosely cover the exposed portion and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Here are some pictures from the bake: