Graham Cracker Millionaire Bars
These graham cracker millionaire bars are one of the most recent additions to my holiday goodie trays, and one of my absolute favorites. When I was developing this recipe, millionaire bars were the current hot thing, you found them all over the internet. I knew I wanted to do something different with mine, something to set them apart, just a little bit, from all the other recipes out there.
I’m not the biggest fan of shortbread, while it is buttery and tender, it always seems like it needs more flavor. I love graham cracker crusts as a base for cheesecake and various pies and tarts specifically for the sweety, slightly nutty flavor and sandy texture, so I thought it would be interesting to merge graham cracker crust and shortbread to create the base for these bars. I kept the caramel very traditional (at least in my original recipe, I got a little more creative in devising some variations). Then we get to the topping…
You wouldn’t think I would have much of an issue with a solid layer of chocolate, but I found I didn’t like the texture with the caramel. I wanted to have these visually beautiful additions to my holiday trays, but once that melted chocolate sets up on top of the soft chewy caramel it just cracks when you try to cut through it leaving a rather messy, rough appearance. If there is any chocolate that is not cracked during cutting, it shatters and falls off when you try to bite through the bar (again with the mess, literal this time!). Replacing the melted chocolate with ganache instead gave me the visual appeal that I was looking for, a creamy, decadent mouthfeel and a way to infuse other flavors into the bars.
I actually make two batches of these for my trays – a dark chocolate sea salt variation and a white chocolate latte variation. The graham cracker base stays the same for both variations. For the dark chocolate sea salt, I sprinkle a generous amount of flake sea salt over the surface of the caramel layer before it is set. Adding the sea salt at that time and specifically using the flake sea salt means that you get a little crunch and pop of saltiness as you bite into the bars. I also swap the semisweet chocolate in the topping for a bittersweet chocolate to get a really intense dark chocolate flavor. For the white chocolate latte, I infuse the caramel layer with espresso. I then swap out the semisweet chocolate in the ganache for white chocolate instead (reducing the heavy cream so the ganache is not too soft) and add just a touch of espresso to the heavy cream when I bring it to a simmer. I finish both batches off with festive sprinkles to dress them up for the holidays and make them stand out on the trays.
Graham Cracker Millionaire Bars
Equipment
- Baking pan 9"x13"
- Food processor
- saucepans medium to large and small
- whisk
- Bowl medium, heat safe
Ingredients
Shortbread Layer:
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ⅔ cup graham cracker crumbs
- ⅔ cup brown sugar firmly packed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 20 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Caramel Layer:
- 2 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 12 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup golden syrup or dark corn syrup
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Generous pinch salt
Chocolate Layer:
- 12 oz semisweet chocolate
- 10 tablespoon heavy cream
- sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9×13-inch pan with non-stick foil.
Shortbread layer:
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and salt; process until well combined and no lumps of brown sugar remain.2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs, 2/3 cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the butter and vanilla; pulse until it forms a coarse meal. Dump the dough into the prepared pan and press with your fingers into an even layer (dust your fingers with flour if the dough is too sticky).20 tablespoon unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pierce the dough all over with a fork and bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Caramel layer:
- Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, butter, golden syrup, vanilla and salt together in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, the butter melts and the mixture comes to a boil.2 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk, 1 cup dark brown sugar, 12 tablespoon unsalted butter, ¼ cup golden syrup, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, Generous pinch salt
- Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and boil gently, whisking constantly, until the caramel is thick and the temperature registers 230°-235° F.
- Pour the caramel over the warm crust; cool for about 15 minutes, or until caramel is set.
Chocolate layer:
- Place the chocolate in a heat safe bowl.12 oz semisweet chocolate
- In a small saucepan, bring cream to a low boil and pour over the chocolate. Allow to sit for a minute, then stir gently until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.10 tablespoon heavy cream
- Spread the chocolate ganache over the caramel layer. If using sprinkles, distribute them evenly over the surface of the chocolate ganache. Refrigerate the bars until the chocolate is set, at least 1 hour.sprinkles
- Using the foil overhang, lift the bars out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board.
- Cut into small squares and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- Replace the semisweet chocolate with 12 oz white chocolate chips [340g] and decrease the heavy cream to 6 tablespoons. I like to use this variation paired with the espresso caramel variation. Along with adding 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder to the heavy cream this gives the bars a white chocolate latte vibe.
- Replace the semisweet chocolate with bittersweet chocolate. I like to use this variation paired with the sea salt caramel variation. Over all it provides a richer, more intense and less sweet flavor profile.
- Add ½ tsp espresso powder while cooking the caramel
- Sprinkle 1/2-3/4 tsp flake sea salt (such as Maldon) over the surface of the caramel after it has been poured over the crust and before the chocolate layer is added
Nutrition
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