Millionaire Magic Bars

Servings 16 (2 1/4") squares

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon corn starch
1 cup salted butter 2 sticks, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup toffee bits I used Heath
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans optional
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9" square pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and cornstarch. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture and mix until combined.
Scoop the dough into prepared pan, and using a layer of plastic wrap, press the dough evenly into the pan. (The plastic wrap will keep the dough from sticking to your hands. Lift and move the plastic wrap around as necessary to get the dough evenly pressed into the pan.)
Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
Layer the toffee chips, then chocolate chips evenly over the crust. Top with pecans, if using.
Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the entire surface.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is bubbly and deep golden brown over the entire surface. You want to insure the milk has had time to really caramelize, but you don't want to over bake your shortbread.
Allow to cool completely in pan for cleanest cuts.
Remove from pan using foil liner. Peel off foil and cut into squares.

Recipe Notes

*You can adjust your topping amounts to your preference. If you want almost solid chocolate on top, use a full cup. If you'd like a little breather between your chips, go with 3/4 cup. Same for the nuts. Add more or less.

*If you use unsalted butter, add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the flour mixture.

*To speed up the cooling process, once the pan is just barely warm, you can put it in the refrigerator, uncovered, to help it set up. (I never put anything hot into the refrigerator.)

*This is a rich bar. I cut it into 16 squares for the photos, but you could easily cut it into 25 squares (5 x 5) or even 32 rectangles (4 x 8) and it will still be a satisfying portion.

*I baked this batch about 35 minutes, but it didn't caramelize as much as my other tests did at 30 minutes. I think I will try pushing it to 40 minutes next time and see if the shortbread can handle the extra time.