A delicious fall twist on the vegan caramel slice. These vegan toffee apple millionaires shortbread bars have an apple infused shortbread and caramel. Completely dairy free and vegan with a gluten free option.
Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F). Lightly grease the base and sides of a square 8" pan with some oil or vegan butter, then line with parchment paper.
To your food processor, add all of the base ingredients and blend for 30-60 seconds until they stick together to form a dough. Evenly press the dough into the base of the pan and smooth it out with a spatula or flat bottomed glass. With a fork, gently prick the dough several times.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until slightly browned, then allow to cool to room temperature.
Caramel
In a small bowl, whisk together the apple puree and cornflour until they form a paste, set aside.
Add the apple puree cornflour paste to a saucepan along with all of the other ingredients for the caramel and melt over a medium heat whilst stirring. Place your candy thermometer in the caramel and heat until it reaches 116°C (240°F), stirring with a spatula regularly to avoid the caramel from burning to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and allow the caramel to cool slightly for 5 minutes.
Pour the caramel over the shortbread base and allow it to reach room temperature before transferring to the fridge for at least 2 hours to set (or overnight).
Chocolate topping
For the coating melt the chocolate and butter over a double boiler. Stir until melted thoroughly. Use a spatula to spread it over the caramel in an even layer. Allow to set completely at room temperature for at least 20-30 minutes before slicing into servings.
To slice, place a sharp knife in a jug of boiling water to heat it. Wipe the knife dry and gently cut, allowing the heat from the knife to melt through the slices.
Caramel shards
Grease a baking tray with cooking oil and set aside.
Add the caster sugar, golden syrup, apple cider vinegar and vegan butter to a saucepan and melt over a medium heat, stirring until smooth.
Place your candy thermometer in the caramel and heat until it reaches 148°C (298°F), stirring with a spatula regularly to avoid the caramel from burning to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and pour into the greased baking tray.
Allow to set completely at room temperature before chopping the caramel into shards to place on top of the millionaires.