Millionaire’s shortbread mousse

effortless!

Feel free to use ready-made caramel and shortbread biscuits if you’re in a rush but the rich, buttery crumbs and smooth, sweet caramel are worth the few extra minutes of prep. A cheat’s two-ingredient mousse and all-in-one caramel method (no burning sugar!) make these little pots foolproof. You can make them ahead of time, too – just remove from the fridge 15 minutes before serving to let the caramel and mousse soften slightly. Your guests will be asking for the recipe!

1 HOUR + COOLING | SERVES 6 | EASY

SHORTBREAD CRUMBS

salted butter 100g, softened

golden caster sugar 50g

plain flour 150g

CARAMEL

unsalted butter 25g, plus extra for the tin

golden caster sugar 125g

double cream 150ml

sea salt flakes a pinch MOUSSE

dark chocolate 200g

double cream 300ml

1 Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter a 20cm square cake tin and line with baking paper. To make the shortbread, mix together the butter and sugar in a bowl until well combined. Add the flour and stir well, until the mixture comes together into a dough. Tip into the tin and push into the base to the sides using your fingers until you have a flat, even layer. Prick all over with a fork a few times, then bake for 25-30 minutes or until pale golden and looking dry. Cool completely in the tin.

2 For the caramel, tip the butter, sugar and cream into a small pan and bring to a simmer over a low heat. Cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is a golden caramel and has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir through the salt. Remove from the heat and cool for

15 minutes until just warm, then spoon into six glasses or ramekins and cool to room temperature.

3 For the mousse, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (ensuring the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water) or in short blasts in the microwave, stirring often, until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

4 Whip the cream to soft peaks using an electric whisk, then fold in the cooled melted chocolate until the mixture is an even colour, being careful not to knock out the air. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a wide star nozzle and pipe the mousse over the set caramel layer – or do this with a spoon.

5 Bash the shortbread into a chunky rubble and sprinkle this over the glasses to serve. Alternatively, while the shortbread is still warm, score it into fingers with a sharp knife and serve alongside the mousse pots for dunking. You’ll have some shortbread left over – it will keep in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

PER SERVING 924 kcals | fat 70.5G saturates 43.3G | carbs 64.6G | sugars 42.9G fibre 3.7G | protein 5.8G | salt 0.6G