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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:Â
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.
Can i do it without the maple syrup? In my country we doesn’t have.
Hey Mitally,
You will want to use honey in its place. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I just made these for the second time and everybody at work is loving them! I’ve gotten more compliments on these than almost anything else I’ve brought in!!
Hey Claire,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe. I am glad you enjoyed it! xTieghan
Amazing!
Thanks Claire! xTieghan
These bars were so yummy I had to make a few more batches so I could take them and give them to everyone this holiday season! Thank you!
Hey Sarah,
Thank you so very much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it worked out for you! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Having trouble seeing the measurements of chocolate and coconut oil. Can you help? I’ve had these in the freezer and I thought New Years Day should be the day!
Hey Diane,
You want to use 24 ounces of chocolate and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan
The first time I made these the caramel layer set up so hard that I just scraped it off and made chocolate covered shortbread. But the shortbread was so good that I got requests for round 2! The second time the caramel layer turned out perfect, and everyone loved it. Making it in a smaller tin with the full recipe of shortbread and half the chocolate and caramel worked out well for me. This shortbread was probably my favourite I’ve ever made, and for those having trouble with it being too crumbly, I make sure to cream the butter and sugar for a loong time and then only mix as much as you have to with the flour
Hey Willah,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled it was a hit! Happy New Year! xTieghan
How did I become an adult without knowing about Millionaire Bars? These. Are. Fabulous. A few steps to make, but totally worth it. We didn’t want quite as much chocolate, so we dipped the caramel top so the chocolate covered the stickiness, but left the brown butter shortbread showing. Loved everything about them.
Hey there,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Fantastic recipe! I made these for the holidays and they were a hit. I did alter it because I was being lazy and just layered on about half that amount of chocolate instead of dipping. The sea salt on top really kicks up the flavour. I did question my life choices about half-way through stirring the caramel layer but I’m glad I stuck through it because it is delicious!
Hey Brianna,
I am so glad you have enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a go! Happy New Year! xTieghan
I’ve made these twice now. The first attempt the shortbread was super crumbly but I managed to dip them in chocolate & serve them. The second attempt- the caramel would not harden. It was still soft and without shape even after leaving in freezer for a few hours. Any tips/suggestions?
Hey Angie,
Sorry you are having issues with the recipe, if the caramel will not set then is needs to be cooked a little longer. I hope this helps for next time! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Hello 🙂
These millionaire’s bars are reeally looking great and super yummy!!
Unfortunately, we can’t get dark brown sugar here in Switzerland. How cna I replace it?
Thank you!!
Tiziana
Hey Tiziana,
You can go ahead and use light brown sugar. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Hoo boy, these are AMAZING. From my friends: “those are INSANE”, & “they’re like crack”. The caramel was kinda difficult during the cutting, but I found that freezing them for a good while then using a knife dipped in hot water worked best to minimize stickage and lumpy edges.
Hey Sarah,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Long time blog follower and a fan, but this recipe, unfortunately, didn’t work out for me. After the caramel set, it was rock hard – to the point where I couldn’t cut through it – flavors were there, but the caramel wasn’t edible because of how hard it was. Followed the instructions but was curious if such a problem is due to overcooking of caramel? Other? Appreciate you and your recipes!
Hey Shawn,
So sorry you had issues with the recipe, yes if the caramel is too hard that means it was over cooked. Next time just be sure to keep an extra on eye it:) Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Sorry I doubted you Tieghan, with the half browned butter + maple syrup. I finished these babies up today and they are AMAZING! Oh my gossssh. The smells coming out of my mixer when I was making the shortbread… I wish I could smell like that all the time! Lol. Seriously though these bars are easily one of the best things to come out of my kitchen. Could I make drop cookies out of the shortbread dough?
Hey Stephanie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you. Sorry I have not tested this dough as drop cookies. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I can’t say enough good things about these bars. I made three batches back to back because everyone kept requesting more! Nobody believes that I made them. They look beautiful and taste even better. Absolutely delicious recipe!
Hey Alex,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I really loved the flavor of these (and so did everyone in my family)! I got lazy and just kept them as a bar and covered them with the chocolate and flaky sea salt. They maybe didn’t look as pretty but they tasted great. The only trouble I had with this recipe is that the shortbread layer really crumbled. I would definitely make these again but want to figure out a way to keep the shortbread layer together.
Hey Jill,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you. Happy Holidays! xTieghan