millionaire's shortbread disaster - where am I going wrong <sob>?

[lovecat]

I made some choc-covered caramel shortbread to take into our work's charity bake sale - have to confess, I haven't made it in years, but found a recipe in Domestic Goddess and thought it looked really nice/easy.

Hah!

Well, the base was fine, the chocolate topping was fine, the caramel looked fine and seemed to have set nicely, but the minute I cut it up into squares and it reached room temperature it turned into runny goop and would not resolidify.

Waaah! (thankfully I'd made it well in advance so I had time to whip up something else).

What went wrong? I followed the instructions to the letter... anyone got a foolproof recipe, as DH stepped up to the plate, ate a large portion of it with a spoon and declared it was wonderful, so I'd like to try again.

But it would be nice to be able to transport it, iyswim...

Thanks so much

you probably just needed to cook the caramel a bit longer. can't you stick it in the fridge?

It is in the fridge, but the minute you take it out it dissolves again...

I'm sure you're right re. the cooking thing, I thought I was being whizzy following the Nigella instructions for doing it in the microwave but although it looked right, it can't have been.

Ah well, back to dig out my ancient copy of Sainsbury's Entertaining, which had a foolproof recipe in it (as I dimly recall!)

Cheers

Nigella doesn't cook ANY of the stuff herself you know (allegedly) so how would she know? She CERTAINLY doesn't do her own washing up or she wouldn't be such a lacksadasial slovern.

you have to pierce holes in the top of the tin of condensed milk and then put the tin in to a pan of simmering water for about 3 hours for it to go very very firm.

I tell you, those Sainsbury's books from the 80s are GOLD, my mother has a whole collection and I will fight my sister for them with bare knuckles in the event of the will not being specific enough.

good luck

i find nige very hit and miss, especially with sweet stuff. her victoria sponge is Not Light.

I've done that recipe and you have to cook it in the microwave longer than she says. Can't remember exactly - I'll whizz off in a minute and check if I've made any notes on the recipe.

But that's it really

Also - my recommendation for cutting it up without splintering the choc everywhere is to dip a very sharp knife in boiling hot water to heat it up, then dry it, rest it on the choc and let it glide through. I should be writing these books not Nigella!!!

No no no do not pierce the can of condensed milk just simmer for 3 hours making sure the pan does not boil dry. Leave to cool before piercing or it will splurge out very hot caramel. (It must not be a can with a ringpull)

It can be left in the tin for ages so worth doing two at the same time and using the other for banoffee another time.

she's right
I am halfway through a bottle of shiraz

By 'it' of course, I meant the caramel. My only notes on the recipe say do the butter for a bit less than the 2-3 minutes she specifies. But I'm pretty sure I cooked the caramel for a bit more than the 6-7 minutes she says. Try a couple of minutes more. Mine definitely worked, I kept it in the fridge till serving though, so it was probably quite cold.

It was absolutely yummy too. Gosh, you're giving me ideas.

But have just made her chocolate easter egg cake from Feast, that's surely enough chocolate baking for one day!

Thank you, all for the advice and lmao at the Nigella slagging (hope the Shiraz went down nicely, Suzy)

Ooh, a chocolate easter egg cake, Pidge? I haven't got Feast...yet... hmmmm.... DH still owes me a mothers' day prezzie...

(and yes, those Sainsbos books are fab, I have the veggie, the wholefood and the entertaining ones and they are brill - but I've lately been seduced by Nigella and Jamie... must revisit the old school!)

on my notes on my nigella book i have written to do half amount of caramel and to keep it in fridge after cut.

Can't remember though - was ages ago.

oh and I also written that it was nice.

Thanks BBB!

I checked my Sainsbos version and they only use half the tin of connie onnie, so that's probably where I was going wrong (it was far too liquidy, despite it having boiled and blobbed - and messed up my microwave something shocking!)

Cheers again to all who kindly responded