Vegan Millionaire Shortbread Bars

Want a taste of the good life? Nothing's richer than these millionaire bars! With vegan sweetened condensed milk, and layers of chocolate ganache, ooey-gooey caramel, and buttery shortbread, you've hit the jackpot with these bars!

Vegan, Plant-Based, Dairy-Free

Ingredients:

Shortbread crust

1/2 cup vegan butter, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar (can swap for sugar-free alternative/sweetener)

1 cup all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

Caramel

1 can Nature’s Charm sugar-free sweetened condensed milk

7 tablespoons vegan butter

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Chocolate ganache

1 cup vegan chocolate chips

4 tablespoons coconut cream

sea salt, for sprinkling the tops

Directions:

Make the shortbread crust

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream together the vegan butter and sugar until creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape the sides as needed.
3. Gradually add the flour (1/2 cup at a time), scraping down the sides as needed. Add the salt with the last 1/2 cup of flour.
4. Place the crumbly dough into the prepared pan and press it evenly into the pan.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are golden brown.
6. Let the crust cool while you make the caramel.

Make the caramel

1. In a medium saucepan,  add the vegan condensed milk, vegan butter, brown sugar and corn syrup.
2. Turn the heat to medium-high. Stir frequently until the butter is melted and all the ingredients are well combined.
3. Continue to stir until the mixture begins to boil, then reduce the heat so it is simmering (gently bubbling) and stir constantly at this point.
4. Stir gently for 12-15 minutes until it looks like rich caramel and it starts to pull away from the sides of the pot. Do not cut this time short! Trust me, your caramel will not set at all and the bars will be a mess. It should thicken up, but it will thick more as it cools.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and salt.
6. Pour the caramel evenly over the shortbread crust, using a spatula to spread it if needed. Place in the refrigerator to chill for an hour before topping with the chocolate ganache.

Make the chocolate ganache

1. Place the chocolate chips and coconut cream in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir, then heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted and smooth.
3. Allow the ganache to cool for about 5 minutes, then evenly spread it over the caramel layer.
4. Sprinkle with sea salt, if desired, and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes so the chocolate can harden. Cut into squares and serve.