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Super simple, extra delicious, and perfectly sweet Chocolate Covered Brown Butter Millionaire’s Bars. Easy shortbread, made with nutty brown butter, baked and layered with caramelized sweetened condensed milk caramel, with hints of luscious vanilla throughout. Each sweet bar is then covered in chocolate and finished with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Similar to a classic Millionaire’s Bar…but with some extra special touches that make them even more delectable. These sweet little bars are perfect for the holidays so be sure to include them on your Christmas table or in your upcoming Christmas cookie boxes. Your friends and family will be so glad you did!
An extra sweet Tuesday present for you guys in the form of the most delicious brown butter Millionaire’s Bars. Buttery shortbread, topped with chewy, buttery caramel, then covered in rich, creamy milk chocolate, and finished with just the right amount of sea salt.
Two simple words…incredibly delicious.
A Millionaire’s Bar, but better.
And just what is a Millionaire’s Bar? Well, these bars got their name because they taste so rich. From what I’ve read, they originated in Scotland, but have since become very popular worldwide. To me, they seem similar to a Twix Bar or 100 Grand Bar. Either way, they’re truly delicious.
And while my recipe is not traditional, it’s the same concept, just all done up for the holidays.
Soo, that’s the backstory on these bars. But the bottom line – they’re delicious. And very easy to make!!
The idea, the inspiration, and all my thoughts.
As always, I spend a lot of time thinking about what recipes to share with you guys, but especially my holiday recipes. These are my favorite recipes of the year, so I want them to be extra special. Each and every single one. Because of this, I tend to take way too long brainstorming, developing, and styling each recipe, but it’s worth it to me.
And that was the case with these. I had seen Millionaire Bars on Pinterest. I immediately thought about how cute they could be if made as mini chocolate covered presents. And what a great item to include in a cookie box too!
So I did some digging and then some testing and here is where I landed.
Now onto the details.
Start with the shortbread. I just kept it simple, but I did brown the butter, which is really key to adding delicious flavor to an otherwise flavorless base. Don’t skip! The nutty browned butter pairs so nicely with the flavors of the caramel.
Once the shortbread layer has baked, start the caramel. This is not your average caramel. In fact, it’s actually caramelized condensed milk, which might just be better. It’s sweet, chewy, buttery, and made with just the right amounts of vanilla and salt. And the best part? It’s so easy to make. Just boil the condensed milk until thick and golden in color. It takes about fifteen minutes. You need to stir the mixture often, but there’s nothing fancy or complicated about this caramel.
It’s easy and delicious.
Once the caramel has turned thick and golden in color, immediately pour it over the shortbread and spread it in an even layer. At this point, chill the bars to help the caramel set up. Then cut the bars into cute little rectangles or squares and cover them entirely in chocolate.
Yummm. My mom says this recipe might be one of her favorites for the year. She’s been trying to avoid sugar the last few years. But said to me this morning in a text, and I quote…
“So much for me saying…I don’t really eat sugar anymore…your cookies have completely blown that…thanks so much!”
So you see? These really are that good.
A Couple Tips For Success…
Tip one, make sure the bars are thoroughly chilled before dipping them into chocolate. This is probably my biggest tip. If the bars are frozen, the chocolate will quickly set up on the bars and be easier to work with. Trust me, freeze the bars, then dip them through the melted chocolate.
Tip two, if you want a thick chocolate-coated bar, dip your bars once, re-freeze until set (which will only take a matter of minutes), then dip in chocolate again. This is not NEEDED, but it sure is a good idea. Double the chocolate, please.
My initial thought was that these chocolate presents will be great for our Christmas Cookie Boxes. But that’s when I realized how late into December it’s already becoming.
I’m recognizing just now, as I type this, that I’m a little late this year. Late with what? Late with my 2020 Christmas Cookie Box. I’m not sure why, but I was thinking I had time to post this and get it up for you all. But in looking at my calendar, I’m realizing, I am actually behind. My plan is to get my box up by the end of the week, so be on the lookout for that!
Until then, enjoy these cute little “presents” and start prepping them to include in this year’s cookie boxes. Trust me, everyone you gift these to is going to find them delish!
Or? Simply make them for yourself. It’s December and we all need sweet treats! Just one thing…don’t skip that sprinkle of flaky sea salt at the end. Love a good salty, sweet chocolate dessert, you know?
Yes, yes, let’s take some time to do a little Tuesday night baking. It’s cold, so the extra time next to the oven is always welcome. Enjoy!
Looking for other holiday dessert recipes? Here are my favorites:
Salted Caramel and Milk Chocolate Brownies
Salted Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Blondies
Slice n’ Bake Bourbon Caramel Pretzel Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Chocolate Covered Brown Butter Millionaire’s Bars be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Chocolate Covered Brown Butter Millionaire's Bars
Servings: 48 squares or 24 bars
Calories Per Serving: 213 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Shortbread
- 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Caramel
- 2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 24 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate, chopped
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Add 1 stick butter to a small saucepan set over medium heat, cooking until the butter begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Stick in the freezer to chill, 10-15 minutes, but no longer.2. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper. 3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the remaining stick of butter, the cooled browned butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add the flour and mix until fully combined. Press the dough into the prepared baking dish. Bake 20-22 minutes, until lightly golden and toasted. Remove from the oven and let cool.4. To make the caramel. In a medium pot, combine the sweetened condensed milk, butter, and maple. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking consistently. Cook the mixture until it turns golden brown in color and has thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Make sure to stir often to avoid burning the milk. Little brown bits are OK. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla. Immediately pour the caramel over the shortbread and spread in an even layer. Transfer to the fridge to chill, at least 1 hour or 30 minutes in the freezer. 5. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in the microwave until melted and smooth. 6. Cut the bars into 24 rectangle bars or 48 square bars. Freeze another 10 minutes to make dipping easier, then cover/dip each bar in chocolate. Return to the freezer to let the chocolate set up, about 10 minutes. Keep stored in a cool dry place or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Delicious and they present beautifully too! Thank you for the recipe and the helpful tips. Next time I will cut my squares a little earlier and then put them back in the freezer before dipping. I think this would give me a cleaner cut. The base broke on a few squares when I cut them.
I expect these will be added to the Christmas mix for years to come as my family are huge peanut butter and chocolate fans.
Merry Christmas
Hey Wendy,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend!🎄⛄️
Can I use Guittard Semi-sweet morsels for the chocolate? Also, I forgot to add the vanilla to the caramel sauce, so can I add it to the chocolate to get that flavor back? Thanks!
Hi Mary Ellen,
Yes, the recipe calls for semi sweet or milk chocolate:) You could add the vanilla to the chocolate, just not sure it’s going to shine through. I hope you love the recipe! xx
These will forever be in my Holiday cookie box! They are amazing. It’s like a Twix, but BETTER!!! I have a small electric melting pot for the chocolate that I use to dip cake pops in and that has been so useful in making this! It keeps my dipping chocolate warm and I can take my time to dip them. I also use all dark chocolate. The dark chocolate is perfect harmony with the sweet caramel. Be super careful about the caramel! It will continue to cook slightly once you take it off the stove. I always lean towards the lighter side than the darker side in fear of it being cooked for too long. Always a success!!
Thanks for sharing!
Hey Malissa,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it turned out well for you!🧑🎄
Hi, I am about to make these bars for a party! How would you recommend the dipping process into the chocolate?
Thanks
Hi Elisa,
Just pop them into the bowl and use a fork to fish them out, allowing any extra chocolate to drip off. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xxT
The caramel didn’t come out right even though I followed the recipe, it looked more like a dough. The shortbread was also very delicate and crumbled when I tried to take it out.
Hi there,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try, so sorry to hear you had issues with the caramel. Was there anything you may have adjusted? Is it possible that the caramel was boiled for too long? Did you whisk the entire time? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Hey Tieghan!
Everything in this recipe went great for me except the caramel! It completely hardened and shattered when I tried to cut the squares. It came off the cookies and when I tried to bite into the caramel I couldn’t! Any idea why that could happen? Thanks in advance!
Hi Elena,
Thanks for trying the recipe, so sorry to hear about the caramel! Sounds like it was cooked for too long, next time just reduce the cooking time. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These are delicious! The recipe was easy to follow and they came out just as pictured! Lol, I hope they make it to Christmas Day. I will definitely make these again!!
Hi Danielle,
Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!?? xTieghan
Amazing. Like a grown up Twix bar but better! The recipe was easy to follow and all of the components came out just right. I will absolutely make these again.
Hi Stephanie,
Thank you so very much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!??
Hi Tieghan!
I love your recipes! These were a big hit last year, but recently found out that a family member is allergic to coconut. Do you think anything could be a substitution for the coconut oil?
Thanks!
Hey Jeanette,
Awesome! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. You could use butter in place of the coconut oil. Happy Holidays!❄️ xT
I’m planning on making these for holiday treat boxes at work because they look amazing! I just have one question about the chocolate – since I need them to stay solid at room temp for a couple days at least, will the coating hold up without tempering? What kind of chocolate do you use, and is the bit of coconut oil enough to keep the chocolate from getting soft and messy at room temp?
Can’t wait to try them!
Hey Stephanie,
Yes, you can definitely make these ahead of time and keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Be sure to use a good chocolate bar and you should not have any issues. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
I’ve been making chocolate dipped cookies for years for my Christmas cookie platters and I always use Merkens chocolate melting wafers. They are super easy to work with (melt in the microwave) and set up quickly without refrigeration. They also hold up well at room temp after melting but you can refrigerate and even freeze the cookies after to store, depending on the cookie. I hope this helps.
Thanks so much for sharing Heidi!!
How much is 1 stick of butter 1/2 cup or 1 cup? 🙂 Thanks!
Hi Zoe,
1 stick of butter is equal to 1/2 cup. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
One of our absolute favorite holiday season desserts! So delicious and beautiful!
Hey Hannah,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
Love this recipe! It’s such a hit over the holidays. My shortbread comes out a lot thinner than it looks in the pictures by the time I flatten it out to a 9×13 baking dish, and it’s pretty crumbly. I’m not sure if I should double the recipe or use a smaller pan!
Hey there,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! You can definitely use a smaller pan next time for a thicker shortbread! xTieghan
What can you substitute for coconut milk? We have a family member with a nut allergy. Don’t want to chance it. Thanks.
Hey there,
You can use another milk that your family enjoys. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Just FYI as a mom with nut-allergic kids, coconuts are actually seeds, not nuts, so you should be good!
Just made these tonight and overall turned out great! Mine are a little messier than the photos (but practice makes perfect right?) and I did feel my shortbread was thin. Otherwise these were easy to follow and turned out really beautiful. Thanks Tieghan!
Hey Bryce,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed!❄️ xTieghan