Gluten free caramel slice - millionaire's shortbread

Delicious gluten free caramel slice aka gluten free millionaire's shortbread recipe. The layers in these caramel bars are so lush with a beautiful gluten free shortbread base that is soft but does not fall apart and a thick caramel filling that cuts perfectly without oozing out everywhere and finished with a topping of chocolate just to complete the perfect gluten free caramel bars.

I have always been a huge fan of anything that contains caramel as I have a super sweet tooth! So if you have a sweet tooth too then this is the recipe for you.

These caramel bars are known by many names such as millionaire's shortbread, caramel shortcake, chocolate caramel bars, and caramel shortbread. You can call this easy gluten free caramel slice whatever name you prefer and I am sure you won't be disappointed.

You might also love my gluten free brookie bars, Millionaire's cheesecake, or gluten free banoffee pie.

Is Caramel gluten free?

Caramel is usually gluten free as it is made mainly with milk, sugar, and butter and does not contain ingredients containing gluten. If buying ready-made caramel sauce I recommend always checking the ingredients label as some brands may contain gluten due to flavorings used within the caramel sauce.

For this recipe, I recommend making homemade caramel as tinned caramel will not be thick enough to set and will create a saucy mess when you slice into the caramel slices as well as being sure your caramel is gluten free.

Ingredients

Equipment

• 8×8 lined baking tin
• non-stick pan

Gluten free Shortbread recipe

• Butter - Be sure to have your butter at room temperature as this will make it easier when beating together with the sugar.
• Caster sugar - Don’t worry if you can’t get caster sugar for this recipe. Superfine granulated sugar or regular granulated sugar will also work well.
• Gluten free plain flour - I used Doves Freee Plain flour but you can use your preferred brand of gluten free plain flour or Gluten free all-purpose flour.
• Cornflour - If in the US be sure to use Corn starch. As I am in the UK it is called cornflour but not to be mistaken with the US cornflour (yellow powder). See my cornflour v cornstarch for more information.
• Xanthan gum - Used as a binding agent in gluten free baking. Essentially acting like gluten keeping everything together.

Caramel layer

• Sweetened condensed milk - I used Carnation condensed milk in this recipe but you can use your preferred brand of sweetened condensed milk.
• Brown sugar
• Butter

Chocolate Topping

• Chocolate - I used milk chocolate in this recipe but it would also work with dark chocolate for this gluten free chocolate caramel slice. If you want to make gluten-free white chocolate caramel slices then just switch out the milk chocolate for white chocolate.  Be sure you use gluten free chocolate as some brands may contain gluten.
• White chocolate - Optional if you want to add some extra flair to your gluten free millionaire bars and create a beautiful feathered finished look.

Instructions

Recipe steps

• In a bowl beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• In a large bowl mix flour, cornflour, and xanthan gum together until fully combined.
• Add the butter and sugar mixture to the large bowl with the flour mixture.

• Add water and with your hands knead together and will resemble large crumbs but continue to knead as it will eventually form a shortbread dough.
• Place your dough onto a floured surface. Using a rolling pin roll out your dough evenly until around the same size as your prepared baking tin. Then place in the baking tin pressing down firmly and with a fork prick the surface of the shortbread dough.
• Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until slightly golden on the edges but still pale on top.

• In a non-stick pan add condensed milk, sugar, and butter on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. stirring continuously.
• Once the sugar has dissolved bring it to a boil continuing to stir the mixture ensuring that the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Then reduce to low heat and stir until the sauce thickens and is slightly darker in color.
• Let the caramel cool slightly before pouring evenly over the shortbread base.

• Set aside to cool fully before adding the chocolate layer.

• Melt the milk chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot simmering water until fully melted. Pour melted chocolate evenly on top of the cooled caramel layer.
• Optional-Melt white chocolate and place it in a piping bag with a small narrow piping nozzle or a small hole on the bottom of the piping bag.
• Carefully pipe the white chocolate in parallel straight lines over the top of your melted milk chocolate. Using a wooden skewer or the back of a knife gently drag through the lines at a 90° angle to make a beautiful feathered design.
• Leave to fully set. You can place it in the refrigerator for a faster setting.

Recipe Tips

• Gluten Free Flour – I used a shop-bought Gluten free flour blend from Doves Farm Freee from range. Which is a flour blend of Rice, Potato, Tapioca, Maize, and Buckwheat flour. I have had reports that others have used Bob’s Red Mill and other Gluten free All purpose blends with my recipes that have worked well. I would love to know what flour blends worked for you. So feel free to get in touch by leaving a comment below or you can contact me directly.
• Kitchen Scales - Using digital scales is recommended when baking. I always measure using scales and grams as baking is a science. When baking gluten-free it is essential to weigh out ingredients to get the best results! There is no need to purchase expensive digital scales and you can find them available cheaply online.
• Oven Temperatures - Your oven temperature may be slightly different. As all ovens vary in temperature and the baking time is used as a guide. Some ovens run hotter than others. You could invest in an oven thermometer to be more accurate.

Variations

There are a few recipe variations that can be done for this millionaire's shortbread recipe and I thought I would also include them below as you might find them helpful and you can adapt easily to suit your preferred outcome.

• Gluten free white chocolate caramel slice - To make a beautiful white chocolate slice you can substitute milk chocolate for white chocolate.
• Gluten free Billionaires shortbread - To make billionaires caramel slices just add ½ teaspoon of sea salt to the caramel mixture during the cooking process for a gluten free salted caramel slice. Then top with dark chocolate and sprinkle with a little sea salt to finish.
• Gluten free no bake caramel slice - If you want a quick and easy no-bake base that means you dont have to put on the oven. You can use my gluten free biscuit base used in my gluten free banoffee pie in place of the shortbread base. Always use a gluten free cookie base to ensure that you make the caramel slice gluten free.

Recipe FAQs

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