Salted Caramel Shortbread Bites
A delicious shortbread cookie topped with sweet, salty, caramel and a hint of orange.
Servings: 64 one inch squares
Ingredients
- SHORTBREAD :
- 10 T. salted butter melted
- 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- Zest of 1/2 orange
- 1 lg. egg yolk whisked
- 1 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
- CARAMEL TOPPING :
- 14 T. butter
- 3/4 c. light brown sugar
- 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- 3/4 c. light corn syrup
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 c. heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. orange extract
- sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8 x 2-inch pan with parchment paper, allowing two sides to hang over, making it easier to remove the bars once cooled.
- SHORTBREAD: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, salt and orange zest. Add egg yolk, continue to whisk until combined. Stir in flour with a heavy spoon or your hands. Pour dough into prepared pan and press down evenly with your hands until the pan is covered. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove shortbread from the refrigerator and bake for 25-28 minutes, until lightly browned. Allow shortbread to cool while you are preparing the caramel.
- CARAMEL TOPPING: In a heavy-bottomed pot, combine the butter, brown sugar, sugar corn syrup, sea salt, and heavy cream. Bring to a boil and stir until sugars are dissolved and the mixture is well combined. Using a candy thermometer, heat caramel to 230 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and orange extracts.
- Allow caramel to cool for a couple of minutes, then pour over the shortbread base. Sprinkle with sea salt, then refrigerate for several hours. Once chilled, cut into small squares, serve and enjoy!
- Cook's Note: Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
I made these, and they turned out great! However, you didn’t mention to keep refrigerated….so I left them on the counter and the caramel melted down around the sides of the shortbread. 🙁
Oh no, I’m sorry Katherine. You’re right, it is a good idea to put them in the refrigerator, since its so cold outside we tend to have the heat on higher, at least I know I do. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, I will update the recipe. Merry Christmas, Dusty
Great concept but doesn’t really work out. The caramel never hardens enough to stay atop the the shortbread. Keeping it in the fridge doesn’t resolve the issue and makes the yummy, buttery shortbread taste like nasty cold butter. Good flavor but not an option due to the issues…..wish it worked, would love to make again!
Hi Susan, I’m so sorry that happened. Is it warm where you are? If it’s too warm inside or outside it can cause the caramel to melt.