Chocolate, caramel and coffee – these shimmering gold Hazelnut Mocha Millionaires Shortbreads are an irresistible Christmas treat! Each bite offers a buttery, coffee-infused shortbread base topped with gooey coffee salted caramel, crunchy roasted hazelnuts and a trio of marbled chocolates. Finished with a spritz of edible gold for a lovely festive shimmer!
This recipe is created in partnership with Menier Chocolate. I only recommend products and ingredients that I personally love, use and trust!
Recipe Overview
- FLAVOUR: Each bite blends the bold depth of coffee with creamy chocolate for that much-loved mocha flavour. Salted caramel and the nutty crunch of hazelnuts take the edge of the sweetness, making these millionaires shortbread balanced and more-ish.
- TEXTURE: What makes millionaires shortbread irresistible is the combination of textures in every bite. Crunchy, gooey, chewy, creamy, buttery, crumbly. HEAVENLY!
- SERVES: Slice these shortbreads into 9, 12 or 16 depending on how many servings you need. Perfect for sharing or gifting during the festive season.
Ingredients to make Hazelnut Mocha Millionaires Shortbread
- Unsalted butter: Gives the shortbread a buttery flavour and crumbly texture.
- Sugar: For this recipe, you will need two types of sugar, white caster sugar for the shortbread base and light brown sugar for the caramel.
- Espresso powder: Used to flavour two parts of this recipe, the shortbread base and the caramel layer. Espresso powder is a fine powder made from roasted coffee beans. Its potency and ability to dissolve quickly in liquids, make it ideal for baking.
- Plain flour: Binds the shortbread ingredients together and gives the base a crunchy texture.
- Condensed milk: The main ingredient used to make caramel for millionaires shortbread. Condensed milk is a tin of milk and sugar already combined and thickened, which speeds up the caramel-making process. I feel it gives the caramel a thicker and chewier texture too.
- Golden syrup: Used to make the caramel, golden syrup adds sweetness and helps thicken it up. Also known as light treacle in the US.
- Salt: Stirred into the caramel to offset the sweetness.
- Hazelnuts: I used pre-chopped and roasted hazelnuts for speed and ease. They’re sprinkled on top of the caramel for a little crunch in each bite.
- Chocolate: For the marbled topping, you will need a trio of dark, milk and white chocolate. I used Menier Swiss Chocolate as I love the rich flavour, creamy texture and quality of this brand.
- Edible gold dust: Spritzed on top of the chocolate to add a festive shimmer.
Start by Making the Coffee Shortbread Base
This recipe flavours the shortbread dough with espresso powder for an instant burst of bold coffee flavour. To make the shortbread, first mix the espresso powder with boiling water to make a paste, then set it aside and leave to cool. Meanwhile, cream room-temperature butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, before mixing in the cooled espresso paste. Then, add the flour and bring the mixture together into a dough. Press the dough into the baking tin and prick it all over with a fork. This allows the steam to escape and helps the shortbread bake evenly. Bake at 180°C fan for 25 minutes until golden, then place in the fridge to chill.
How to Make Coffee Salted Caramel
Whilst the shortbread base cools, move on to making the coffee salted caramel. Again we use espresso powder to flavour the caramel, however this time the powder can be added straight into the saucepan. It will dissolve as the ingredients melt and the mixture heats up.
Melt all of the ingredients, except for the salt, over low heat in a saucepan. Now turn up the heat (so the mixture starts bubbling up) and set a timer for 6 minutes. Stir continuously, scraping around the edge and bottom of the pan, until the caramel is thick, golden and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt. Then pour the coffee salted caramel over the shortbread base and scatter the chopped roasted hazelnuts on top. Return to the fridge to cool and set.
How to Marble the Chocolate Topping
Marbling the chocolate topping for these mocha millionaires shortbread adds a beautiful decorative touch. For the topping, you will need a mix of dark, white and milk chocolate. Choose a good-quality brand of chocolate that melts well and tastes delicious – my favourite is Menier Chocolate.
First, remove the baking tin from the fridge so the caramel isn’t too cold. Then, melt all three chocolates in separate bowls in the microwave. Do this in short 30-second bursts, stirring in between, until the chocolate is *almost* melted. Almost, being the keyword here. It’s best to use the heat of the bowl to melt the last few lumps of chocolate, otherwise you risk overheating and burning the chocolate in the microwave.
To create the marbling effect, you’ll need to work quickly before the chocolate starts to set. First pour roughly two-thirds of melted dark chocolate over the caramel layer and spread it to the edges to create the base layer. Then drop spoonfuls of the remaining dark chocolate, white and milk chocolate on top. Use a skewer, toothpick or knife to swirl the chocolates together and create a beautiful marble pattern.
How To Cut Millionaires Shortbread Without It Cracking
Cutting these mocha millionaires shortbread can be tricky due to the firm and thick chocolate layer. To avoid cracks and achieve clean slices, try this new technique of mine:
- Remove the millionaires shortbread from the fridge and from the baking tin 20 minutes beforehand. This will soften the layers a little.
- Carefully turn the entire slab upside down so that the shortbread layer is on top. This reduces the pressure on the chocolate and helps prevent cracking as you cut.
- Warm a large, sharp knife under hot water to heat the blade, then wipe it dry. This helps the knife glide through the chocolate and caramel.
- Apply firm, even pressure and press down in one motion to cut through the layers.
- Remember to wipe the knife clean between each cut to prevent buildup and keep your slices neat!
This post contains affiliate links which means I will make a small commission if you purchase through those links. I only recommend products that I know, trust and use myself.
Hazelnut Mocha Millionaires Shortbread
Ingredients
For the coffee shortbread base:
- 1 tablespoon Espresso powder
- 200 grams Unsalted butter room temperature
- 100 grams White caster sugar
- 300 grams Plain flour
For the coffee caramel layer:
- 150 grams Unsalted butter
- 30 grams Light brown sugar
- 60 grams Golden syrup
- 1 tin (397g) Condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon Espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 50 grams Chopped roasted hazelnuts
For the marbled chocolate topping and decoration:
- 150 grams Menier Dark Chocolate
- 100 grams Menier Milk Chocolate
- 100 grams Menier White Chocolate
- Edible gold dust/glitter
Instructions
Start by making the coffee shortbread base:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional. Line an 8inch square baking tin with greaseproof paper.
- Mix the espresso powder with 1 teaspoon of boiling water to make a paste. Set aside to cool.1 tablespoon Espresso powder
- Cream the butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the coffee paste and mix to combine. Then add the flour and fold to make a shortbread dough.200 grams Unsalted butter, 100 grams White caster sugar, 300 grams Plain flour
- Press the dough out into the baking tin and prick all over with a fork.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and firm. Place in the fridge to cool.
Now make the coffee caramel:
- Combine all the ingredients (apart from the salt and hazelnuts) in a medium-large saucepan.150 grams Unsalted butter, 30 grams Light brown sugar, 60 grams Golden syrup, 1 tin (397g) Condensed milk, 1 tablespoon Espresso powder
- Place over low heat and stir until the ingredients have melted into a smooth mixture.
- Turn the heat up to medium so the mixture starts to boil. Keep stirring continuously (scraping around the edge and bottom of the pan) for 6 minutes until the caramel thickens and turns golden in colour. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt.1 teaspoon Salt
- Pour the caramel over the shortbread base and scatter the chopped hazelnuts on top. Return to the fridge for 1 hour to set (or overnight if you're prepping ahead).50 grams Chopped roasted hazelnuts
For the chocolate topping:
- Remove the baking tin from the fridge.
- Finely chop the dark chocolate and place in a large glass bowl. Microwave for 30-second bursts, stirring in between, until the chocolate is almost melted. Then keep stirring until the chocolate is completely smooth (the heat from the bowl will melt the last bits of chocolate). Repeat this step to melt the white and milk chocolate.100 grams Menier Milk Chocolate, 100 grams Menier White Chocolate, 150 grams Menier Dark Chocolate
- Pour two-thirds of the dark chocolate over the hazelnut caramel layer and spread it to the edges. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining dark chocolate, white and milk chocolate on top. Work quickly so the chocolate doesn't set!
- Use a skewer, toothpick or knife to swirl the chocolates together and create a marble pattern.
- Return to the fridge for another 2 hours or until the chocolate topping is completely set. Then decorate with the edible gold dust or glitter for a sparkly finish.Edible gold dust/glitter
- Tips for slicing your hazelnut mocha millionaires shortbread:Remove from the fridge 20 minutes beforehand, just to soften the layers a bit. Flip the slab upside down onto a chopping board, so the shortbread layer is on top. Use a warm flat knife to slice through the layers. This will make clean cuts and stop the chocolate topping from cracking. Enjoy!
