Salted Peanut Caramel Millionaires Shortbread

Looking for a healthier twist on your traditional millionaires shortbread? Well here's an energy packed, vitamin rich snack that is endlessly customisable. So if you don't like peanut butter, no problem, you can use any spread, nut butter, and even coconut oil as a substitute. I have some example recipe variations below, but first let's get into the recipe you all came here for!

Shortbread Base
You’ll need:

- 300g plain flour
- 200g soft vegan butter (any brand or margarine works—just note that this will affect the texture and buttery flavor)
- 100g caster sugar (or icing sugar in a pinch; you can even blend granulated sugar to make your own caster sugar!)
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract (or swap for your favorite flavoring, such as almond, maple, or orange)

How to Make It:

1) Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2) Add the vanilla extract (or your chosen flavoring), then gradually mix in the flour to form a smooth dough.
3) Roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling film, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
4) Press the chilled dough evenly into a lined tin for bars, or roll it out and cut into shapes for cookies.
5) Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30–35 minutes (10–15 minutes for cookies) until just golden.
6) Let the shortbread cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Date Caramel:
Rich, creamy, and naturally sweet, this date caramel is the perfect accompaniment to shortbread or as a standalone dip.

You’ll need:

- 360g dates, soaked in 25g boiling water and 15g of Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (or substitute with any flavoring like caramel, almond, or even peppermint!)
- 1 tsp salted caramel flavoring (optional)
- A pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp Arrowroot Powder (sub for Cornflour)
- Two dashes of cinnamon
- 160g nut butter or spread (peanut butter, Biscoff, hazelnut praline—your choice!)

How to Make It:

1) Soak the dates in boiling water. If you’re short on time, microwave them for 1 minute to soften.
2) Blend the softened dates with vanilla extract (or your chosen flavoring), caramel flavoring, salt, arrowroot powder, and cinnamon until smooth.
3) Add the nut butter or spread and blend again until fully incorporated.
4) Let the caramel cool to thicken before spreading or serving.
Storage Tip: Date caramel keeps well for up to 3 months in the fridge and can be frozen for up to 6 months. Just thaw before using!

Chocolate Topping:

- 80g Dark Chocolate
- 15g Peanut Butter
- Pinch of Sea Salt

Tempering Chocolate for the Perfect Snap:
1) Melt 2/3 of your chocolate in a heat-safe bowl over simmering water (double-boiling method).
2) Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 1/3 of the chocolate until fully melted.
3) Add a tablespoon (15g) of peanut butter and a pinch of salt for flavor. (Optional)

- Slice into bars or squares. (I made 24 squares, but feel free to make 12 bars or however many your heart desires).

Nutritional Info:
Kcals: 260
Protein: 3.8g
Fats: 17.1g
Saturates: 2.6g
Carbs: 27.3g
Sugars: 15.4g
Fibre: 1.5g
Salt: 0.3g

£3.86 for the full batch - 32p per serving (24 slices)

Customizing Your Shortbread:
This is the perfect time to mention the fact that the shortbread photographed was made using a different shortbread recipe to the one provided. Why? Simply because I only had flora light to work with. This meant I had to get creative to ensure it still tasted amazing since flora light's main ingredient is water and so wouldn't leave me with a buttery vanilla shortbread.

I'm happy to report that I had great success overcoming this hurdle and have accidentally come up with a lower calorie shortbread base. So here's the recipe and nutritional information for this alternative recipe:

- 60g Vegan Butter
- 140g Flora Light
- 50g Icing Sugar (or caster sugar, I had simply run out of this too)
- 50g Brown Sugar
- 300g Plain flour
- 1 tsp Salted Caramel Flavour
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Flavour
- 1/2 tsp Maple Flavour / Almond Extract (to give it a slight buttery taste)
- Dash of Cinnamon
- Pinch of Salt

Kcals: 201
Protein: 3.7g
Fats: 10.9g
Saturates: 2.2g
Carbs: 26.7g
Sugars: 15g
Fibre: 1.4g
Salt: 0.3g

Total Recipe Costs: £4.06 - 34p per Serving (24 servings)

This recipe is all about flexibility. Here’s how you can make it your own:

Alternative Bases
Oats Instead of Shortbread: Swap the shortbread base for baked oats. Replace the banana in your oats recipe with more almond milk or water, and adjust the sweetener and salt to balance the flavors.

Flavor Experiments

Peanut Butter & Raspberry: Try raspberry-flavored shortbread topped with peanut butter caramel and a white chocolate layer.

Caramelized Biscuit Bliss: Use caramelized biscuit spread (like Biscoff) for the caramel layer and top with white chocolate.

Chocolate Orange: Add 20g of cocoa powder to the caramel and use orange flavoring instead of vanilla for a classic chocolate-orange twist.

Hazelnut Dream: Use hazelnut butter in the caramel and top with hazelnut chocolate for a Ferrero Rocher-inspired treat.

Alternative Ingredients
Thickeners: Arrowroot powder, vegan gelatin, or cornstarch can replace xanthan gum in the caramel.

Sugar Substitutes: Icing sugar works in place of caster sugar, and granulated sugar can be blended to create caster sugar if needed.

Butter Variations: Use your favorite vegan butter or margarine, but remember it may alter the buttery flavor and texture.

Chocolate Choices: Swap dark chocolate for milk, white, or flavored chocolate to suit your tastes.

Toppings and Add-Ins
Seasonal Spices: Add nutmeg, ginger, or cardamom to the caramel for a cozy flavor twist.

Drizzles and Decorations: Use melted chocolate drizzles, sprinkles, or flaky sea salt for a finishing touch.

Assembly Ideas
For Millionaire’s Shortbread:
Bake your shortbread base as usual and allow it to cool.
Spread a thicker date caramel layer (made with reduced water) over the uncut shortbread and smooth it out. Freeze until firm.

This freezer-friendly, fridge-stable treat is perfect for meal prep or spur-of-the-moment indulgence. So what are you waiting for? Get creative and make this recipe truly your own!

- Using mostly ingredients from Aldi and Asda's own, Dates from Home Bargains, and Dark Chocolate from Morrisons (its 80p for a 100g bar of Morrisons Savers Dark Chocolate, and it doesn't 'directly' contain any animal products, and so it's considered to be accidentally vegan!).
- I get my Maple Flavouring from Amazon, under the brand name Cake World. That along with Pure Sucralose sweetener are great investments off Amazon in my opinion (although I'll be switching providers soon as, because I strongly disagree with Amazon's ethics!) because that £7.99 investment will be the equivalent of 60 kg's of sugar!

Feel free to submit a review at the bottom of the recipe page letting us know what you liked and didn't like about this recipe, and what I should work on next!