macadamia caramel squares
to fulfil a very specific craving
What I’m reading: Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano - a family drama that pays homage to Little Women - but not in an annoying way. I really enjoyed it
What I’m listening to: Margot Robbie on Table Manners
What I’m eating: an excellent meal at Rita’s, Soho (below) - including this gilda that was so good that we ordered another round immediately
I had a really specific craving that led me to making these caramel squares this week. These remind me of birthday parties when I was about 8 years old, along with the trusty old roster of marshmallow squares, Rice Krispie buns and tophats (a marshmallow on a little bed of melted milk chocolate, with a Smartie on top). They’re nostalgic, but IMHO also just about chic enough to serve to your adult friends.
They’re essentially millionaire’s shortbread, with that buttery shortbread base, a caramel layer that is composed primarily of condensed milk, and a layer of dark chocolate on top. I’ve added toasted macadamias because I thought the extra crunch would do absolutely no harm, plus the flavour of macadamias work really well here with the choc/caramel. You could also use a different nut here if you preferred - hazelnut or peanut would both be delicious.
The beauty about these squares is that each of the three layers is as simple as humanly possible: the shortbread uses melted butter, instead of the creaming or breadcrumb method. The caramel layer is kind of like a dulce de leche, but doesn’t require extensive cooking, boiling or a sugar thermometer. The chocolate layer on top is ALMOST like you tempered the chocolate, but is, in fact, just two ingredients and takes approximately three minutes. All that remains for you to do is complete each layer correctly - and that’s where my caveats lie: make sure the shortbread is baked fully before you add the caramel (you’re looking for a golden brown biscuity colour), then make sure the caramel is just about set before you take it out of the oven, and finally, these caramel squares cut most beautifully when you’ve let them set in the fridge overnight.
These will keep happily in the fridge for around 3 days, but bear in mind that the shortbread layer will start to go a bit soft.
recipe: macadamia caramel squares
(makes 16)
