This Millionaire Brownies recipe is a rich and decadent dessert comprised of shortbread, caramel, and a thick fudgy brownie layer. The perfect party treat!
These delicious millionaires brownies were based on my recipe for millionaires shortbread that we all love so much.
I am not going to sugarcoat it, this is a bit of a process, there are three layers after all. You can take some shortcuts and use a boxed 8" or 9" inch mix and use unwrapped chewy caramels mixed with a little cream to make it a sauce. But I made it all from scratch. It's not hard or super time-consuming, it just takes longer than most brownie mixes because we are making two other desserts and mashing them all together!
Let's get to the recipe
Ingredients
With most baking recipes I truly urge you to measure your ingredients with a scale.
Baking is a science and to really achieve the best results I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. This OXO Kitchen Scale is the one I use and is also the number one recommended kitchen scale by Cook's Illustrated. Think about it -what one person scoops into a "cup" is completely different from what someone else scoops!
The shortbread is made with three ingredients; butter, sugar, salt, and flour.
The caramel is made with:
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Light Brown sugar
- Sea Salt
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Light Corn Syrup or Golden Syrup
- Unsalted Butter
You can make the brownie batter from scratch, I use my homemade brownies recipe or you can use a boxed 8" or 9" mix. If you want to make mine from scratch they are made in one pot and you'll need:
- Water
- Unsalted Butter
- Granulated Sugar/ Caster Sugar
- Unsweetened Dutch-process Cocoa Powder
- Vegetable Oil
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 Large Egg Yolk and 1 Large Egg, at room temp.
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Cornstarch/ Cornflour
- All-Purpose/ Plain Flour
- Handful of chopped chocolate or chocolate chips, due to the sweetness
Chopped pecans would be a great added crunch to the brownie batter! Or a layer of roasted peanuts on top of the caramel between the brownies!
For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and line a 9"X9" pan with foil so the foil overhangs.
In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter and stir gently until fully combined, the crumbs will be moist.
Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Use your clean hand to press the dough down to create an even layer, then use a fork to prick the dough every inch.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-23 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Let pan cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. While the shortbread bakes, I prepare the brownie batter and caramel layer. I start by cooking the brownie batter through step one then while it has to cool for 5 minutes I begin the caramel. I have all of the brownie ingredients ready to go so I quickly prepare as I am frequently stirring the caramel, you cannot leave the caramel for too long or you will end up with burned spots. If you prefer you can make the brownie batter first and let that sit aside before preparing the caramel layer.
In a large heavy bottom pan, add the sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, sea salt, heavy cream, corn syrup, and unsalted butter. Over medium heat stir often until the mixture registers to 236F/113C to 240F/115C degrees* on a digital thermometer. This will take about 15- 20 minutes of stirring. Once the temperature is reached take the pot off of the heat. Carefully pour the caramel over the shortbread crust, and use a spatula to spread into an even layer as best as you can.
In a large saucepan add the water, butter, sugar, and cocoa powder. Cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes until it is all combined together, the mixture will look weird and not liquidy enough, but that is fine. Then add the oil and vanilla extract, and mix as best as you can it might look separated that is fine.
Take off of the heat, let sit for 5 minutes then add the egg and egg yolk. Whisk to combine.
Add the baking soda, salt, and cornstarch, and mix to combine. Gently add the flour by using a spatula to fold in until just combined, just before there are no flour streaks add your chocolate chunks/ chips. Do not overmix, this will affect the end product.
Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan on top of the caramel and use an offset spatula to spread into an even brownie layer to cover all of the caramel and bake for 25-30 minutes. Everyone’s oven is different, for me, the brownies always bake within 25-30. Don't overbake the brownies. You want a toothpick in the center to come out with moist crumbs, not completely dry.
Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting. You'll need a sharp knife to cut these into squares, due to the three layers you can cut them quite small. Store them in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 4 days.
Can you double
You could totally double the recipe for a 9-inch X 13-inch pan.
More caramel recipes
Check out this recipe for my caramel apple upside-down cake.
Talk about creamy delicious this caramel cheesecake is one of my all-time favorites.
If you have caramel to use up this caramel banana bread is a great choice to bake!
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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PrintRecipe Card
Millionaires Brownies
This Millionaire Brownies recipe is a rich and decadent dessert comprised of shortbread, caramel, and a thick fudgy brownie layer. The perfect party treat!
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 Slices 1x
Ingredients
Shortbread
- 250 grams (2 Cups) All-Purpose Flour
- 66 grams (⅓ Cup) Granulated Sugar
- Pinch of Salt
- 7oz (14 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter, melted
Caramel
- 7oz Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 150 grams (¾ Cup) Light Brown sugar
- ½ Teaspoon Sea Salt
- 2.6oz (⅓ Cup) Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2.6oz (⅓ Cup) Light Corn Syrup
- 2.5oz (5 Tablespoons) Butter
Brownie Homemade or Boxed Mix
- 2oz (¼ Cup) Water
- 1oz (2 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter
- 200 grams(1 Cups) Granulated Sugar
- 90 grams (Scant Cup) Unsweetened Dutch-process Cocoa Powder
- 3oz (scant ⅓ cup) Vegetable Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 Large Egg Yolk and 1 Large Egg, at room temp.
- ⅛ Teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch/ Cornflour
- 60 grams (scant ½ cup) All-Purpose/ Plain Flour
- Handful of chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
Instructions
Shortbread
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and line a 9X9" pan with foil so the foil overhangs.
- In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter and stir gently until fully combined, the crumbs will be moist. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Use your clean hand to press the dough down to create an even layer, then use a fork to prick the dough every inch.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-23 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Let pan cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. While the shortbread bakes, I prepare the brownie batter and caramel layer. I start by cooking the brownie batter through step one then while it has to cool for 5 minutes I begin the caramel. I have all of the brownie ingredients ready to go so I quickly prepare as I am frequently stirring the caramel, you cannot leave the caramel for too long or you will end up with burned spots. If you prefer you can make the brownie batter first and let that sit aside before preparing the caramel layer.
Caramel
- In a large heavy bottom, pan add the sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, sea salt, heavy cream, corn syrup, and unsalted butter. Over medium heat stirring often until mixture registers to 236F/113C to 240F/115C degrees*(see note). This will take about 15- 20 minutes of stirring. Once the temperature is reached take the pot off of the heat. Carefully pour the caramel over the shortbread crust, and use a spatula to spread into an even layer as best as you can.
Brownie
- In a large pot add the water, butter, sugar, and cocoa powder. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until it is all combined together, the mixture will look weird and not liquidy enough, but that is fine. Then add the oil and vanilla extract, and mix as best as you can it might look separated that is fine.
- Take off of the heat, let sit for 5 minutes then add the egg and egg yolk. Whisk to combine.
- Add the baking soda, salt, and cornstarch, and mix to combine. Gently add the flour by using a spatula to fold in until just combined, just before there are no flour streaks add your chocolate chunks/ chips. Do not overmix, this will affect the end product.
- Pour into the prepared pan on top of the caramel and use an offset spatula to spread into an even layer to cover all of the caramel and bake for 25-30 minutes. Everyone’s oven is different, for me, the brownies always bake within 25-30. Don't overbake the brownies. You want a toothpick in the center to come out with moist crumbs, not completely dry. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting. Store in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 4 days.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: shortbread brownie bars with caramel, caramel shortbread brownies,
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