Millionaires Shortbread

Some days my girls can be brilliant. Eat their meals, play nicely, minimal nagging. If faced with the Health Visitor or Nursery Teacher I’ll smile and say how good they are.

Some days it’s like they’re conspiring together to push me over the edge. For example, last week we get up (5.30am standard). I free-pour coffee into a mug and after boiling the kettle 5 times between tantrums and dramas, actually manage to get hot water on top of it. Make them breakfast (Weetabix), which they don’t eat so the bowls are left on the table. Get each one dressed while they complain. Brush hair. Complain even more. Youngest wants teletetubbies. Oldest hates teletubbies. More tears. I treat myself to a moment of peace, washing some dishes. In comes oldest: “I need a wee wee” bah! Grab the potty: “can you use the potty please?” I then make the fatal mistake of turning my back; oldest stands up, youngest grabs the now full potty and in a flash is covered in pee. The cabinets are covered in pee. The just washed dishes are covered in pee.

Without fully thinking I strip youngest out of the pee-soaked clothes and down to her nappy and ask (beg) my older girl to take her into the living room while I clear up. Not 2 minutes later I hear, “Maaaammmy, Rory’s making a mess” and walk in to the youngest wearing only her nappy, covered in Weetabix, rubbing Weetabix into the carpet with both hands. It’s 8am. 8am! How are we going to make it to lunch?

When it’s too early to drink wine, chocolate is surely the answer. This Millionaires Shortbread is undeniably indulgent so feels like a grown up treat but is simple enough that your little people will love whipping it up (and eating the melted chocolate).

You will need a 12″ by 9″ square tray or cake pan. Ideally lined with baking or greeseproof paper

Ingredients

200g real butter

200g self raising flour

100g cornflour

100g caster sugar

1 tin carnation caramel

300g milk chocoloate

Couple of squares white chocolate if your feeling posh.

Preheat your oven to 180°C or gas Mark 4

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Then add the self raising flour and cornflour. Get your hands right in there to bring the mix together. Your kid(s) will love this as it’s stupidly messy and yummy. If you manage to stop them grabbing their hair or face with doughy hands your a better grown up then me.

Press your shortbread dough into the tray until it’s spread evenly. We had alot of eager toddler fingers on our dough…

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden on top. Remove from oven and leave in tray to cool completely.

Keeping in the tray spread the caramel from the tin over the cooled shortbread and pop in the fridge.

Now 300g milk chocolate is a shedful of chocoloate. But I really feel this recipe calls for it. Most recipes will say melt the chocolate slowly over a pan of simmering water but that would be a full scale disaster with my two. So we blast in the microwave initially for 20 seconds then 5-10 second bursts, stirring in between until melted.

Pour over the caramel layer as evenly as you can. We used a palette knife to spread gently over the caramel but a spoon will do as long as you go easy (possibly a mammy or daddy job rather than toddler).

We then melted a bit of white chocolate in a cup, poured little dollops into the milk chocolate layer, and swirled about a bit. This is purely for ponciness and is completely optional.