Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Bars

Every Christmas cookie box needs a buttery shortbread. Specifically a tender shortbread bar drizzled with caramel and chocolate. It’s decadent, salty-sweet, chocolatey and perfect for sharing with friends and family this holiday season! Grab the recipe for these chocolate caramel shortbread bars below!

This post is sponsored by Vermont Creamery. All text and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for continuing to support the brands who help make Broma possible!

Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Bars

As if buttery shortbread bars weren’t delicious enough, we decided to give them a drizzle of dark chocolate and caramel, because, well, 2020 has been a year and we deserve it. In my opinion, there’s no such thing as too much of a good thing. More is MORE. Especially when caramel, chocolate, and buttery shortbread are combined.

These classic shortbread bars come together in minutes and keep for weeks, meaning you can whip up a big batch on a whim and have sweet treats for weeks. Of course you’ll eat them all within two days because they’re seriously addicting, but sometimes you just have to lie to yourself a little, y’know?

What do you need to make these shortbread bars

Shortbread is one of my favorite cookies to whip up for the holidays because everyone loves it and it is SO darn easy to make. Plus you’ll only need a few staple ingredients that you probably already have in your cupboard. As with any simple recipe, it’s crucial that you use high quality ingredients because every ingredient will shine through. And shortbread is all about the butter! Which is why we exclusively make these buttery bars with Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter.

Butter can really make or break your homemade shortbread. You need to RUN (don’t walk) to the grocery store to get your hands on some Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter. When I tell you this butter is life changing, I need you to know I am being absolutely seriously and not exaggerating in the slightest. This butter is superior to all butters. It is the queen of butters, and I may or may not have, like 20 boxes of it in our fridge. Hehe.

• Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter: The base of any good shortbread is some good buttahhh. Splurge on that good stuff (Vermont Creamery obviously) and you’ll be able to tell the difference in the melt in your mouth buttery crumb.
• Granulated Sugar: These shortbread bars aren’t super sweet, but they do require a little sugar to create just the right amount of caramelization and chew.
• All Purpose Flour: You’ll want to use all purpose flour for the perfect crumb to your shortbread bars. I’ve also had success making these with a gluten free 1:1 baking flour!
• Salt: You’ll only need a little bit, but salt is so important to deepening the flavor. It will cut the sweetness just enough and make these shortbread bars seriously addicting.
• Caramel: Not to brag, but I consider myself somewhat of a caramel connoisseur. You can grab our recipe for the best drizzle-able caramel sauce you’ll ever have here! If you’re feeling a little lazy and don’t feel like making homemade you can always melt down some soft caramels instead!
• Chocolate: We recommend using a high quality dark chocolate and chopping it for the most gourmet tasting results, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand.

Tips for making the best buttery shortbread

• Don’t overwork the dough: The key to good shortbread is dough that has as little gluten in it as possible. This will make a tender, melt in your mouth texture that you expect from shortbread. Your dough will be a little crumbly, but will stick together when you smoosh it together. Don’t be alarmed!
• Use high quality butter: I know I’ve said this before, but I just had to say it again. The butter will make these shortbread bars SO GOOD.
• Bake them to perfection: With shortbread there’s a fine line between doughy and overdone. The bars should take about 25 to 30 minutes to bake and you”ll know they’re done when they’re just golden brown on the edges, have puffed up, and are dry to the touch.

How to store chocolate caramel shortbread bars

Shortbread is one of those magical cookies that keep incredibly well. They’re pretty sturdy and will stay tender and soft for up to 3 weeks as long as they’re stored in a sealed container. So they’re perfect for sharing or shipping to friends. But I won’t tell anyone if you don’t share a single one of these with anyone else. Our little secret 🙂

Enjoy all the holiday cookies this season! Happy baking!

• Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 24 serving
• Category: dessert
• Method: oven
• Cuisine: american

Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Bars

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.5 from 2 reviews

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Every Christmas cookie box needs a buttery shortbread. Specifically a tender shortbread bar drizzled with caramel and chocolate. It’s decadent, salty-sweet, chocolatey and perfect for sharing with friends and family this holiday season!

• Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 24 serving
• Category: dessert
• Method: oven
• Cuisine: american

Units: USM

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup Vermont Creamery Unsalted Cultured Butter
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 recipe of the best caramel
• 4 ounces dark chocolate, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment on all sides. Set aside.
2. In a food processor combine the flour, sugar, salt, and Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter. Pulse until just combined and the mixture forms a dough ball.
3. Press the dough into the prepared pan, using your hands to spread the dough into an even layer.
4. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until just light golden brown. Take out of the oven and allow the bars to cool completely.
5. While the bars cool make the homemade caramel according to directions. Allow the caramel to come to room temperature before using!
6. Once the bars are cool use a spoon to drizzle the bars with caramel and chocolate. Pop the bars in the freezer for a few minutes or the fridge for a half hour to set. Once set, use a large sharp knife to cut into desired size rectangles. Enjoy!