No Bake Caramel Slices/Millionaire's Shortbread

I only managed just under 4000 steps today, walking straight into town to have coffee with DS1 and back again via the shops. It was cold, not freezing but much colder than it has been all winter, and there was a bitter wind. It's supposed to get colder still over the weekend. The first flake of snow and I'm hibernating...I'll wait out the rest of winter on the sofa, wrapped up in layers with a hot water bottle. Maybe you've already guessed that me and cold weather are not compatable. A ski holiday would be my idea of hell.

Thursdays are generally soup and sandwich night. We don't always have soup or sandwiches, but tend to go for 'junk' food and I sometimes bake or we have a naughty dessert. Tonight we're having fried eggs, fried potatoes and baked beans and dessert is Caramel Slices otherwise known as Millionaire's Shortbread. 

Whilst doing a stock take and sorting through the freezer and kitchen shelves earlier this week I came across 2 tins of condensed milk that had spots of rust on so I knew I would have to use them up soon. Caramel slices are a firm favourite that I haven't made in ages. 

To avoid turning on the oven I make this version with bought shortbread fingers.

Base Ingredients:

I x 210g pack of Aldi shortbread fingers (49p), crushed into crumbs
50g Aldi butter, melted (250g pack for 85p, so approx 17p)

Melt the butter (I zap it in the microwave), mix in the biscuit crumbs until well coated then press into a 7 in square or 8 inch round cake tin. Leave to cool in the fridge for approx 20 - 30 minutes.

Caramel Ingredients:

150g Aldi Soft brown Sugar (500g for approx 90p, I think, so around 30p)
150g Aldi Butter (approx 51p)
397g can of Condensed Milk (don't recall what I paid for mine but Carnations is £1.35 in Morrisons today)

Melt the butter and sugar together over a low heat, add the condensed milk, bring slowly to the boil stirring all the time. Lower heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 3-5 minutes until it darkens and thickens slightly. Do not let it stick to the bottom of the pan or you will have dark lumps in it. Pour caramel over the base and leave to cool and set slightly (it is supposed to stay softish but will firm up a bit). 

Topping:

200g bar of Aldi Milk Chocolate (85p)

Break the chocolate bar into squares and then melt in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Pour the melted choc over the caramel and level out. Leave to cool and set for a while, then mark into slices before putting in the fridge to firm up.

I made mine in an 8 inch (20cm) round tin and divided it into 12 portions. I let it set a bit too much before cutting so the chocolate cracked more than it should.

Total cost (using Carnation condensed milk) approx £3.67 or 30p per slice (12 slices)

The recipe sounds like I'm advertising for Aldi. Not true but I do find them excellent for a lot of basic ingredients at very good prices. 

Sad news today that Alan Rickman has passed away. He was such a versatile actor and I've loved him since first seeing him years ago in a music video for the band Texas, and then, of course, playing the baddie, Hans Gruber, in the first Die Hard movie. He also made an amazing Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (far better looking than Kevin Cosner in my humble opinion), and he was hilariously funny in Dogma, and known to millions of children young and old as Snape in the Harry Potter films. Including David Bowie and Lemmy of Motorhead, that's 3 talented people recently lost to cancer at the young age of 69/70. Such a sad loss.

And on that melancholy note I'll say goodbye. I'm off to cheer myself up (and give myself tooth decay) with one of my caramel slices. 

Have a good evening, Love Helen xx