Millionaire Chocolate Squares

Caramel, chocolate and shortbread. The holy trinity of baking. Great shortbread is key for this old time favourite and Kerrygold butter works a treat, creating that distinctive rich buttery flavour.

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Grease a 22 x 22 x 4cm baking tin with butter. Roll up your sleeves and use your fingertips to rub the butter and flour together in a bowl, then mix in the sugar. Press the mixture into the baking tin and pop in the oven for 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove but leave the oven turned on.
2. As the shortbread bakes, you can rustle up the salted caramel. Mix all the topping ingredients, except the chocolate, in a saucepan over a low – medium heat. Once melted, bring to the boil and simmer for 10–15 minutes. Be sure to keep stirring. You don’t want this mellifluous sauce sticking to the bottom. When you see a warm toffee colour, the caramel is perfect.
3. Pour the caramel over the shortbread base and return to the oven for 10 minutes. When done, remove from the oven and give it a chance to cool completely.
4. Now it’s time for the chocolate. Fight the temptation to nibble (until later!) and melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of shallow simmering water, then pour the melted chocolate over the cooled caramel. Use a palette knife to spread it smoothly over the gooey caramel.
5. Pop on the kettle while you wait for the chocolate to set. You can slice them into 16 squares, or smaller nugget size ones. Pour yourself a cup of tea, put your feet up and let these delectable morsels melt in your mouth.