Vegan Millionaires Shortbread with a Date Caramel

I've been really enjoying "veganising" some of my favourite foods recently, including this Risotto and this Chocolate Ganache. Next up on my list was millionaires shortbread - something I never actually got round to making as a non-vegan! So here it finally is - my recipe for a Vegan Millionaires Shortbread, with a Date Caramel ("ooh ah" I hear you say, keep reading to find out more!).

As always, I'm going to be honest with you. I attempted to make a vegan millionaires shortbread a few months back and well... it went badly. Somehow the shortbread ended up SOLID, the caramel did not work AT ALL. Seriously, I tried all the tips and used coconut milk, sugar etc. and it was just this runny gloop that was never going to set. I struggled along, wishfully pouring the "caramel" on top of the shortbread and the shortbread started to float above the caramel. Don't ask me how or why, it just wasn't my day. I've mentioned this before, but when baking goes wrong, I tend to get a little annoyed and frustrated. So yeah, attempt #1 at millionaires shortbread wasn't a good day.

However, this attempt #2 was such a better experience! The shortbread was not only cooked throughout (shortbread struggles), it was still crumbly and buttery. The Date Caramel was a revolutionary idea (I can't take full credit as I've seen it around on the ∼internet∼ for a while, but I did just go with the flow with it and oh my it worked well! When I say "add a little water at a time", please follow that advice! Adding too much water could cause your caramel to become runny, and, well, we don't want a repeat of the attempt #1 at this do we?! If you don't have soft sticky dates, just soak your dates in some hot water until they become soft.

To make the date caramel, you will need a food processor or a high speed blender - I used my Nutribullet which did a great job! There will still be a few chunks in the mixture, but that's totally fine! See the photo above for how my date caramel looked when spread out.

Will you be giving this recipe a go? If you do, make sure to tag me on Instagram @susiechef or use the #susiechef so I can see!

Total time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes (plus cooling time)
Yield: 16 Squares
Ingredients

• 1 Portion Easy Vegan Shortbread
• 25 small Soft Sticky Pitted Dates (plus water)
• 200g Dark Chocolate

Cooking Directions

1. Make the vegan shortbread as per instructed, then press a 7-inch square baking tin lined with greaseproof paper.
2. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 ˚ celsius until it is turning golden, then remove and leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
3. To make the date caramel, add your dates to the food processor/blender (whichever you're using) along with around 2 tablespoons of water.
4. Pulse the dates for a few seconds (in my blender it only took a second), then add a little more water if needed to make a smooth caramel.
5. Line the baking tray with clingfilm then put the cooled shortbread back into the tin.
6. Spread the caramel on top of the shortbread until evenly spread.
7. Transfer to the freezer for 10 minutes.
8. Melt the chocolate (I did this in the microwave at 30 second increments), then pour on top of the caramel.
9. Leave to set fully then cut into squares and enjoy!

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