Caramel Squares
An easy vegetarian built around golden syrup and good-quality dark chocolate — roughly 65 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for oven and saucepan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (2)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan) and line a 20cm square tin with baking parchment, letting it overhang two sides so you can lift the bars out later.
- Rub or beat 75g of the butter into the flour and caster sugar with a pinch of salt until the mixture clumps together into a soft shortbread dough, then press it firmly and evenly into the base of the tin.
- Bake the base for 18 to 20 minutes until pale golden, then set aside to cool while you make the caramel.
- In a heavy-based saucepan melt the remaining 100g butter with the golden syrup and the full can of condensed milk, then bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 8 to 10 minutes until it thickens and turns a deep golden caramel colour; do not let it catch on the bottom.
- Pour the hot caramel over the cooled base, spread level and leave to cool, then chill in the fridge for about an hour until set.
- Melt the dark chocolate gently in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water or in short bursts in the microwave, then pour over the firm caramel and spread evenly.
- Chill again until the chocolate is just set but not rock hard, then lift out and cut into 16 small squares with a warm knife to give clean edges.
You'll use: Oven · Saucepan · Pan · Microwave
Ingredient substitutions
- Self-raising Flour
- 1 cup plain flour + 1½ tsp baking powder + ¼ tsp salt
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
Tips & common questions
How long does Caramel Squares take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 7 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of self-raising flour?
Try 1 cup plain flour + 1½ tsp baking powder + ¼ tsp salt. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Caramel Squares vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Caramel Squares is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Caramel shortbread - Café W, Brighton 2023-07-13.jpg (CC0) via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.