Spiced Millionaire's Shortbread Cookie Bars

Spiced Ginger Shortbread Cookie Base

1. Butter an 8x8 cake tray. Line it with parchment paper with a generous overhang, so that it'll be easier to remove from the tray.
2. Cream the butter, salt and sugar until light and fluffy. Add all the spices and salt, and mix through.
3. Sift the flour and cornflour together in a separate bowl. Add this to the butter mix in two batches, mixing between each addition, until just combined.
4. Bring the dough together to form a ball, and fold over 4-6 times until you get a smooth dough.
5. Press the dough into the base of the prepared cake tray, making sure it's even.
6. Leave in the fridge for about 30 minutes for it to rest and set. In the meantime, preheat oven 350°F/180°C.
7. Remove from the fridge and bake in the preheated oven for 25- 30 minutes, until the surface is a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool down completely. Make the caramel AFTER the cookie base has cooled down.

Caramel Layer

1. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, cream and salt in a large saucepan. Make sure there's PLENTY of room for the sugar to bubble up - it’s best to use a large saucepan with high sides so that the sugar won’t bubble over when boiling.
2. Heat over medium-heat to melt the sugar, stirring occasionally.
3. Once the sugar has melted, clip on the sugar thermometer and increase the heat to medium-high and bring it to a boil. DO NOT STIR. Let it heat until it reaches 260°F/126°C.
4. Remove from the heat immediately and add the butter and vanilla and stir through until the butter melts completely and distributes evenly throughout the caramel.
5. Lightly butter the sides of the cake tray again (so that the caramel won’t stick to the sides), and pour the caramel over the shortbread cookie base. Give it a slight shake to spread the caramel layer evenly.
6. Let it cool to room temperature and then set completely in the fridge for a few hours - I kept it overnight.

Chocolate Layer

1. Have the tempered chocolate and a wire rack over a clean sheet pan ready.
2. Gently loosen the shortbread cookie and caramel layers out of the tray (run a sharp knife along the sides to do this). Gently flip this out on to a parchment paper, and cut squares (I cut 16 squares) using a bread knife. Use a sawing motion to cut through the cookie layer and then a quick, firm downward motion to cut through the caramel. Place them on the wire rack with the caramel side up.
3. Pour tempered chocolate over each square and using a knife or spatula, spread it over the top and on the sides. Place the squares on a parchment paper and refrigerate until the chocolate sets. Using gold petal luster dust, dust and paint streaks over the set chocolate. These can be stored at room temperature (if completely covered), or in the fridge.