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Juniper millionaire’s shortbread

By: Pollyanna Coupland
Food producer, delicious.

Published: 29 Mar 23
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Fruity, peppery, piney… juniper adds real botanical complexity to dishes, but it’s unusual to see the berry in baking. The flavour dimension it adds to millionaire’s shortbread is exceptional. The fruitiness of the chocolate is enhanced; the sweetness of the caramel is tempered. Perfect!

Check our classic millionaire’s shortbread recipe, too.

Easy
April 2023

Test kitchen approved

Makes about 16 (depending how you slice them)
Hands-on time 25 min, plus cooling. Oven time 35-45 min

Check our classic millionaire’s shortbread recipe, too.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 490kcals
Fat: 25.9g (16.2g saturated)
Protein: 4.6g
Carbohydrates: 59g (44.6g sugars)
Fibre: 1.3g
Salt: 0.1g

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Ingredients

375g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
275g caster sugar
300g plain flour
1 tbsp juniper berries, finely crushed in a pestle and mortar
100g golden syrup
397g tin condensed milk
250g dark chocolate, chopped

Specialist kit

28cm x 22cm baking dish (approximately)

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Method

Begin with the shortbread base. Heat the oven to 160ºC fan/gas 4. Put 200g of the butter, 100g of the sugar, the flour, crushed juniper berries and a pinch of salt in a food processor and pulse to an even, sandy texture. Line the baking dish with baking paper, then tip in the mixture and pat down evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes, then set aside to cool completely.
Heat the remaining 175g butter and 175g sugar with the golden syrup and condensed milk in a pan over a low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring constantly until you have a smooth, thickened, dark amber caramel. If the sugar starts to caramelise into little dark specks, you can pass the mixture through a sieve (although it doesn’t matter too much). Pour the caramel over the cooled shortbread base, then leave to cool once more.
Once the caramel has cooled and set, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (don’t let the water touch the bowl) or melt in 10-second bursts in the microwave, then pour it over the cooled caramel. Put in the fridge to set, then cut into pieces.