Caramel Almond Shortbread
Sweet pastry with a buttery shortbread base topped with caramelized almond slices.
Ingredients
Unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
125 g
Powdered sugar
75 g
Egg yolks (room temperature)
2
Cake flour (sifted)
250 g
Heavy cream (for caramel)
50 ml
Granulated sugar (for caramel)
75 g
Malt syrup
25 g
Honey
25 g
Butter (for caramel)
50 g
Sliced almonds
75 g
Instructions
1
Preparation
Bring the butter and eggs back to room temperature. Line the baking pan with parchment paper.
2
Cream the butter
Once the butter is softened, beat it with the powdered sugar until pale white in color and slightly increased in volume.
3
Add the egg yolks
Add the egg yolks and stir until evenly combined.
4
Add the flour
Add the sifted cake flour and use a silicone spatula to fold and press the dry ingredients together until evenly mixed. Gather into a dough.
5
Chill the dough
Place the dough in a plastic bag, flatten it, set it on a tray, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (preferably 1 hour).
6
Roll out the dough
After chilling, use a rolling pin to pound the dough to adjust its softness, then roll it out to fit the pan. Press it into the pan with your hands so it covers the entire pan in an even thickness.
7
First bake
Prick holes all over the bottom with a fork, then bake on the middle rack of a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool.
8
Make the caramel
Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan, then add the granulated sugar, malt syrup, honey, and butter. Stir constantly while heating until everything has melted together.
9
Add the sliced almonds
Once the mixture reaches 115°C (240°F), remove from heat and gently fold in the sliced almonds, taking care not to break them.
10
Spread the caramel
Pour the caramel-almond mixture over the cooled shortbread base and spread it to an even thickness with a spatula.
11
Second bake
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and bake on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes, until the caramel reaches your desired color.
12
Cut into pieces
Once cooled but before the caramel fully hardens, invert the pan and peel off the parchment paper, then cut into small pieces. Optionally, dip one end into melted chocolate to taste.
