Macaroons

My first attempt at making macaroons. Lemon macaroons with a homemade lemon curd; pretty pleased with myself!

Banoffee Millionaire's Shortbread

Millionaire's shortbread meets banoffee pie - what could be better?

Banoffee millionaires shortbread is a delicious afternoon treat and it contains bananas so could technically be one of your 5 a day. Ok, the last part wasn't strictly true, but this is a great recipe and is extremely simple to make; it can be knocked up at short notice and is guaranteed to impress anyone with a sweet tooth.

I like the texture of using sliced bananas in the caramel instead pureeing them, this way you get big chunks of banana with the buttery shortbread and rich caramel, all topped off with smooth dark chocolate. Of course you could use milk chocolate or even a mixture, but I find this too sweet for my palette.

This recipe is simple and easily adjustable; so you can put your own spin on it, maybe even add some peanut butter to the shortbread for even more decadence.

Banoffee Millionaire's Shortbread (makes 9)

Shortbread

• 125g butter
• 55g caster sugar
• Plain flour

Banoffee Caramel

• 50g butter
• 50g muscavado sugar
• 1 x 397g condensed milk
• 1 large banana 

Topping

• 200g dark chocolate

1) Pre-heat the oven to 180°C then grease and line a 9inch x 9inch baking tray with baking paper.

2) Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl, then rub in the butter until you get a fine breadcrumb consistency. Pour the mixture into the lined baking tray and flatten with a fork.

3) Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown and firm to touch. Allow to cool.

4) Whilst the shortbread is cooling, make the banoffee topping. In a pan combine the butter, sugar and condensed milk, heat gently until the sugar completely dissolves and the mixture begins to boil. Lower the heat and allow the caramel simmer for 5 minutes, stirring continuously until it has a thick, glossy consistency. 

5) Pour half the caramel over the shortbread in a thin, even layer. Top with the sliced bananas then use the remaining half of the caramel to cover the banana; allow to cool completely.

6) Once everything has cooled melt the chocolate carefully in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. Pour the melted chocolate over the caramel and leave to set. Cut into squares and enjoy!