The best time of the year for baking is back! Halloween baking is just the best because it opens the doors to so many creative opportunities. You want little spooky spiders? Go for it. You want to bake some brownies that bite back? Sounds dreamy. You want to make a big Dracula head out of cake? Do it! And so for this recipe, my mind was just set on blood, dramatic splatters, and finding a way to get that oozy, gory touch. So the bloody millionaire’s shortbread was born!
The real backstory to the bloody millionaire’s shortbread is that I wanted to come up with something simple, but that could feature a lot of red. You can never go wrong with millionaire’s shortbread – everyone loves it and it’s easy to make. Plus, there’s the potential to add a touch of red to the caramel for an oozing blood effect, as well as a red topping. It was a no brainer!
But my fun backstory is that there’s been a rotten, dirty, filthy murder. A world-renowned baking millionaire has been the centre of a brutal incident in his plush kitchen and his recipe the best shortbread has been stolen. Whodunnit? Was it his ever-loyal wife who has always been in the shadows of his success? Was it one of his house staff who grew tired of his commanding ways? Or was it his celebrity baking rival?
Despite looking a little more gruesome than your average millionaire’s shortbread, this Halloween version is still as indulgent and delicious. The biscuit base is slightly crumbly and offers the perfect bed for the caramel, which is blood red and so gooey. Then the top is white chocolate instead of milk, giving the perfect canvas for a smattering of blood patterns. It’s the perfect combination of horror and hands-down scrumptiousness!
One thing I knew I really wanted to do with these little squares of joy was get that blood splatter right. Of course, I knew I needed to use food colouring, but I always use gel and you can’t get that spray effect with gel. So I went away and did some research, and the resounding answer was… vodka. Yup, mix your gel with a bit of vodka and you’re good to go. Now before you click away, thinking this recipe isn’t kid-friendly, think again. As the vodka and gel mixture dries on top of your shortbread squares, the vodka evaporates, leaving behind the alcohol-free blood spray. There’s no taste left behind and definitely no alcohol, so these treats are ideal for kids!
Bloody Millionaire’s Shortbread – Halloween Baking Recipe
Course: BakingDifficulty: Easy12
servings2
hours25
minutes20
minutesThe ultimate ‘whodunnit?’ dessert. This Halloween millionaire’s shortbread features blood red caramel and blood spatters for a spooky touch to your baking.
Ingredients
- For the shortbread
250g plain flour
175g cold unsalted butter, cubed
75g granulated sugar
- For the caramel
100g unsalted butter
100g light brown soft sugar
1 can condensed milk (397g)
Red gel food colouring
- For the topping
250g white chocolate
Red gel food colouring
Half teaspoon vodka
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 180c/160c fan, and grease and line an 8 inch square tin.
- To make the shortbread base, add the flour, sugar and butter to a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to rub the butter into the flour and sugar, until you have fine breadcrumbs.
- Squeeze the breadcrumbs together until you have a dough, then transfer this to your prepared tin. Press the dough down and right up to the edges and corners of the tin, using the back of a spoon to smooth it out.
- Use a fork to lightly dot holes over the surface of your shortbread dough, then pop into the oven to bake for around 20 minutes of until golden brown. Once baked, remove from the oven and set to one side to cool slightly whilst still in the tin.
- To make the blood caramel, combine the butter, sugar and condensed milk in a saucepan on a low-medium heat, stirring continuously until the sugar has melted.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring continuously for 1-2 minutes. Drop the temperature back down to low-medium and stir for another 2 minutes.
- While you’re stirring, add a few drops of red gel food colouring to the mixture, stirring it through to make a red caramel. Use as much food colouring as you like to make the colour as vivid or soft as you want.
- Take the caramel off the heat and stir for another minute before pouring over your shortbread base. Pop this into the fridge for around an hour or until set.
- To make the topping, melt the white chocolate in a bowl. You can either use the microwave to heat the chocolate in short bursts, being sure to stir in between. Or you can add an inch or two of water to a saucepan on a low heat, then place your chocolate in a heatproof bowl on top (not touching the water), stirring continuously to gently melt.
- Pour your melted white chocolate on top of the set caramel, then pop the tin back into the fridge for around an hour.
- To make your blood splatters, mix your red gel food colouring in a tiny bowl with the vodka to make it runnier. Use a food safe paintbrush to splatter or drop your blood on to your set white chocolate. As the splatters set and dry, the vodka will evaporate, making these safe for children.
- Use a hot knife to cut your millionaire’s shortbread into 9 squares and enjoy!
Notes
- If you want to make your red caramel or blood splatters look a little more blood-like, add a drop or two of brown gel food colouring to add some darkness and dimension.
- You can either trim the edges of your unsliced shortbread slab or keep them for slightly larger slices.
Looking at this now, I was definitely too shy with the blood spray and could have got away with painting on some bigger blobs. And that’s the beauty of this food gel and vodka mix – it makes it runny enough that you can tap, splash, dot, paint, get it on to your white chocolate in any way you see fit. For me, it was a lot of tapping the brush against my finger and the side of the tin, and dripping in specific areas. Just experiment and see what works!
This is such a gorgeous treat to make for a Halloween movie night, to take to work for a spooky touch to your team’s morning coffees, or just for fun. They’re really decadent, thanks to the white chocolate and that mega thick layer of red caramel. It’s definitely one to try out!
What will you be baking this Halloween?
Amazing! Just tried this and it turned out great. Any idea how long it will keep?
Hi Shan! I think if kept in an airtight container, these should last around 3-4 days, but of course, the sooner they get eaten, the better 🙂