Salted Billionaire Dessert Bars

Okay so let me be very clear before we get started – this dessert did not photograph very well at all. I tried different angles, different shapes, different lighting and it just fell very, very flat. Then the bars started to get a little melty, so I would put them back in the refrigerator and start it all over again, but after sharing this recipe on my Instagram, so many of you seemed interested, that it didn’t seem fair to keep it to myself. And to be honest – they are so dang delicious that by the time I had tried several photography set-ups, we had eaten almost the entire pan…woops! But just like anyone will tell you, sometimes the most delicious things don’t necessarily always look the prettiest. Or maybe that’s me trying to make myself feel slightly better 😉 Either way – these are my take on the ever-popular Billionaire Bars. Typically, these are a buttery shortbread crust with a sweetened condensed milk/caramel-y center and a hard chocolate topping. I knew I wanted to find a way to make these bars both dairy free and gluten free and by golly – it happened! And to be honest, it’s probably the easiest diary free dessert recipe I’ve ever produced, because it tastes exactly like the dairy-full version. So if you’re in the market for a fun treat let’s get started on my salted billionaire dessert bars…!

Salted Billionaire Dessert Bars

For anyone who has made the traditional version of this desert, you know that a cornerstone of the recipe is a can of sweetened condensed milk. You can imagine my excitement when I first discovered sweetened condensed coconut milk! It’s definitely a bit more expensive than it’s dairy laden alternate, but I was willing to give it a try just to test the waters. The result? A dessert my initially-wary husband couldn’t stop sneaking into the refrigerator for!

You Will Need:

For The Shortbread Base

1 cup Cup4Cup

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup ghee (soft, but not liquid)

1/4 cup granulated coconut sugar

For The Gooey Center

1/2 cup ghee (soft, but not liquid)

1 can sweetened condensed coconut milk

2 tbsp light corn syrup

1/2 cup granulated sugar (you can sub in coconut sugar here, too, but your center may turn out a different color)

For The Top

1/2 tsp light corn syrup

1/4 cup ghee (soft, but not liquid)

1/2 cup Dairy Free Chocolate Chips

*To complete this recipe, you’ll also need parchment paper + a 9-inch springform pan!

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

2. Line a 9-inch spring form pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

3. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt for the base.

4. In a larger bowl, combine the ghee and the coconut sugar for the base.

5. Sift flour/baking powder/salt mixture into the ghee and coconut sugar mixture and mix until blended. *It may appear crumbly, but will come together if kneaded lightly with your hands*

6. Press mixture into the bottom of the spring form pan and bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.

7. While your shortbread base is in the oven, it’s time to make your gooey filling! In a medium-sized saucepan, combine all filling ingredients, mixing constantly over medium heat, until fully melted together.

8. While continuing to stir, turn up the heat gradually and bring the mixture to a boil.

9. When the mixture begins to thicken a bit (and get slightly darker), remove it from the heat and pour on top of the shortbread base.

10. Refrigerate for one hour.

11. For the chocolate topping, combine ghee, corn syrup and chocolate chips in a small saucepan over medium heat.

12. Stir continuously until melted.

13. Pour on top of the gooey center layer, sprinkle a bit of Maldon on top and refrigerate overnight.

14. Cut and enjoy!

I know, I know, this sounds like a TON of work and it kind of is, but I promise you – it’s worth it. The steps are really simple once you have all the ingredients and it comes together really quickly once you’re in the swing of it! My biggest suggestion would be to prep and measure all your ingredients ahead of time, so you can focus on the consistency of the gooey center (the part I struggled with initially). These bars were a huge hit with Dane + I’m already dreaming up making them again! To make it easy, you can easily shop the supplies below 🙂