Shortbread Cookie with Caramelized White Chocolate Ganache. An easy, buttery shortbread crust very generously topped with thick, rich caramelized white chocolate ganache. The caramelized white chocolate part might sound complicated…it’s not! The caramelized white chocolate part also sounds insanely good…it IS!
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ABOUT THIS CARAMELIZED WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE SHORTBREAD
I LOVE this dessert. It’s a super special yet so simple to make. It has a buttery, slightly crumbly shortbread crust and topped with an ultra decadent caramelized white chocolate ganache. You can make this recipe in four simple steps.
STEPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- Make the shortbread crust.
- Caramelize the white chocolate.
- Make the white chocolate ganache.
- Pour the ganache over the crust.
HOW TO MAKE THE SHORTBREAD CRUST
This soft shortbread crust is the perfect base for this rich, creamy caramelized white chocolate ganache. The dough comes together in minutes with the help of a food processor, gets pressed into a pan and bakes up in around 20 minutes.
EASY STEPS FOR MAKING THE SHORTBREAD CRUST:
- Preheat oven to 350 F and butter an 8 or 9 inch round pan. Lightly spray the bottom and sides with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse to combine the flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, powdered sugar and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is about the size of peas (some larger pieces are okay). Add the egg yolk and pulse until just incorporated then add the water.
- Turn dough out into the prepared pan and use your hands to press the mixture into the base of the pan. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and place the pan on a cooling rack to cool. Once the crust is finished baking, reduce the temperature to 250 F and begin working on the caramelized white chocolate.
WHO LOVES WHITE CHOCOLATE?!
I did a poll about white chocolate on Instagram. 70% of people loved it! The 30% who didn’t like it told me they thought “it’s fake” and “it’s not real chocolate.”
I personally love white chocolate. I love its distinct sweet flavor and and creaminess. For a coffee cake sweetened by white chocolate and slightly flavored by it, definitely make this tender White Chocolate Blackberry Coffee Cake and for more of a straight up white chocolate treat, these No Bake White Chocolate Cookie Dough Truffles are that little bite of sweetness that’s perfect around the holidays or just to have stashed away in the freezer anytime of the year!
ABOUT CARAMELIZED WHITE CHOCOLATE
Caramelized white chocolate is white chocolate that caramelizes while it’s slow roasted in the oven. It gets stirred frequently and turns into a creamy, decadent, must-try treat!
The finished product tastes like white chocolate, but has a much richer, nuttier flavor from the roasting process. It tastes like both butterscotch/caramel taste.
If you’re a baker, you’ll love it because it’s such an interesting kitchen project. If you don’t consider yourself a baker, you will surprise and yourself when you taste what a delicious creation you’ve made!
HOW TO USE CARAMELIZED WHITE CHOCOLATE
In this recipe, we whisk the caramelized white chocolate in with cream to make a ganache. Here are some other ways to enjoy caramelized white chocolate:
- As a Chocolate Bar: Pour it into a chocolate bar mold or into the bottom of a bread tin lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate it until it hardens.
- In Cookies: Turn it into a chocolate bar as described above. Once it hardens, chop it and use it in place of chocolate chips.
- In Buttercream Frosting: Pour caramelized white chocolate into some whipped butter and add some powdered sugar and you get caramelized white chocolate buttercream! Use it to frost everything from cupcakes to cakes to brownies like these Irish Cream Brownies with Caramelized White Chocolate Buttercream by Fifteen Spatulas.
WHAT DO I NEED TO CARAMELIZE WHITE CHOCOLATE?
- WHITE CHOCOLATE: It’s the only ingredient and you’ll want to make sure you use a good quality white chocolate. Good quality white chocolate will have a higher amount of cocoa butter in it. Ideally you want white chocolate with around 30% cocoa butter. The higher the amount of cocoa butter means it will melt more easily and evenly. Many of the quality brands will list the approximate percentage. Some brands don’t list the percentage of cocoa butter. In that case, I recommend going with a good, quality brand. Ghiradelli, Valrhona, Callebaut, Lindt and Scharffenberger are all good brands. I would not recommend using white chocolate chips for caramelized white chocolate.
- A BAKING SHEET: A rimmed baking sheet is all you need. You can line it with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper or choose not to line it. I used my baking mat because it doesn’t move around. If you use parchment paper, you’ll just need to hold onto it when you stir the chocolate.
- A SPATULA: Use a heat proof spatula to stir the chocolate and to spread it evenly as it bakes. You may also want to have a butter knife handy to scrape the white chocolate off the spatula and back onto the tray after each stir.
HOW TO CARAMELIZE WHITE CHOCOLATE?
Preheat oven to 250 F. Roughly chop the chocolate and spread it evenly on the baking sheet. Place tray in the oven for five minutes.
After the first five minutes, take the tray out and stir the white chocolate. Make sure that all the chocolate gets stirred/moved around so that it bakes evenly. After stirring it, make sure it’s spread out evenly.
Bake ten more minutes and stir again. The chocolate may look stiff and kind of bumpy/ugly when you take it out of the oven, but it’ll get smooth after you give it a good stir.
Continue this process for a total of 40-45 minutes. The time will vary slightly depending on the white chocolate you use and your oven. For this reason, make sure to pay close attention to the color changes throughout the process. You want it to be golden-brown and similar to but not quite as brown as peanut butter.
CARAMELIZED WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE
Making the white chocolate ganache is the easiest/quickest part of the recipe. You’re basically just combining hot heavy cream and the caramelized white chocolate and adding a little vanilla and salt for flavor.
INGREDIENTS
- Caramelized white chocolate
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla
- Salt
STEPS FOR MAKING CARAMELIZED WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- Pour the caramelized white chocolate in a medium or large bowl. Set aside.
- Warm the cream in a medium saucepan and warm over medium heat until just barely boiling.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand 30 seconds then whisk to combine. Whisk in the vanilla and salt.
- Allow to cool slightly for about fifteen minutes. Pour the ganache over the crust. Use an offset spatula to spread evenly, if needed.
HOW TO SERVE THIS DESSERT
This Shortbread Cookie with Caramelized White Chocolate Ganache is somewhere between a cookie and a tart. My husband and I originally enjoyed it on plates and with forks. About half way through eating it, I decided to just pick it up and eat it more like a cookie! It’s delicious both ways and just depends on the setting/your preference.
For larger slices, you can cut it in half and then cut each half into four slices. I’d suggest cutting it that way if this is your main dessert. If you are serving this among other desserts, you could go ahead and cut it into 16 thinner slices.
TOP IT WITH FLAKY SEA SALT
I love sprinkling flaky sea salt on top just before serving. It balances out the sweetness a bit and I think just makes it looks a bit more finished and fancy. That said, the sea salt is totally optional and it’ll be pretty and yummy whether you add it or not.
I’m obsessed with this Shortbread Cookie with Caramelized White Chocolate Ganache. I love the process of making it, the look of it, and, of course, the flavor of it! It’s fun and interesting to make, makes an impressive dessert, and is unlike any dessert you’ve ever had! I know once you try it, you’ll feel the same way!
Shortbread Cookie with Caramelized White Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
FOR THE SHORTBREAD
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces, cold
- 1 egg yolk
- ½- ¾ tablespoon water
FOR THE CARAMELIZED WHITE CHOCOLATE
- 300 grams white chocolate chopped
FOR THE CARAMELIZED WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- 300 grams caramelized white chocolate see recipe above
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
FOR THE OATMEAL SHORTBREAD CRUST
- Preheat oven to 350 F and butter an 8 or 9 inch round baking dish. Lightly spray the bottom and sides with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with blade, pulse to combine the flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, powdered sugar and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is about the size of peas (some larger pieces are okay). Add the egg yolk and pulse until just incorporated then add the water.
- Turn dough out into the prepared pan and use your hands to press the mixture into the base of the pan. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and place the pan on a cooling rack to cool.
FOR THE CARAMELIZED WHITE CHOCOLATE
- Preheat oven to 250 F and spread chocolate evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Remove from the oven after five minutes and use a spatula to give the chocolate a good, even stir. Make sure to spread chocolate out evenly before returning to the oven.
- Bake another ten minutes. After ten minutes, remove from oven and give the chocolate another good stir. Use a knife, if needed, to scrape the chocolate off the spatula before placing it back in the oven. Continue stirring every ten minutes, about 40-45 minutes in total. The total time may vary, so it's important to pay attention to the color. Bake until the white chocolate is toffee colored but not quite as dark as peanut butter.
- Once finished, give the chocolate one final stir then pour it into a medium bowl.* Set aside while you warm the cream for the ganache.
FOR THE CARAMELIZED WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- Pour the caramelized white chocolate in a medium or large bowl. Set aside.
- Warm the cream in a medium saucepan and warm over medium heat until just barely boiling.
- Remove from heat as soon as bubbles begin to form along the edges. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand 30 seconds then whisk to combine. Whisk in the vanilla and salt.
- Allow to cool slightly for about fifteen minutes, whisking a few times during that time, then pour the ganache over the crust. Use an offset spatula to spread evenly, if needed. Place the dessert in the fridge for at least fifteen minutes to set before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Maria
I will try this recipe, ganache is new to me
Natalie
Hi Maria! I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Cob
I cannot find white chocolate that is 30% or higher. It all is palm kernel oil. What brands would you suggest?
Natalie
Hi. I would recommend white chocolate bars from brands such as Ghiradelli, Callebaut, Lindt, Valrhona, and Scharfenberger. If it is a little lower than 30% cocoa solids, I think it should be okay. I wouldn’t recommend using something such as white chocolate chips. Hope that’s helpful!
Barbara Briggs Ward
Must make this! Looks so creamy delicious!
Natalie
Hope you get the chance to make it! Super creamy and SO good!
Barbara Briggs Ward
Definitely will be making these cookies!
Natalie
Happy to hear that!! Hope you love them!