Billionaire's Turtle Square

At the request of M, here is my version of a combination of dessert components that in the US is typically given the term "Turtle", and in the UK is often known as "Millionaires Shortbread". Each of the components are my adaptations of different recipes I've collected and then brought together for the purpose of creating this tri-textured, tri-flavoured dessert square.

Shortbread Base: From Gourmet Magazine March 1999
3/4 cups unsalted butter
2 cups flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp salt

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2) Slice the butter into 1/4-inch pats. Put the remaining ingredients into a food processor and process them until well blended. Add the butter pats and pulse until the mixture forms small lumps.
3) Turn the mixture out into a 13x9x2-inch baking pan and press it down evenly using the back of a metal spatula. Bake the shortbread until golden, about 30 minutes. Put on a wire rack and allow to cool to room temperature in the pan.

Hazelnut Caramel: From Bon Apetit February 2010
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup heavy cream
4 tblsp butter (can be either salted or unsalted, but if using unsalted be sure to add 1/2 tsp of salt when mixing in the final ingredients)
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 1/3 cups hazelnuts, toasted, husked, and coarsely chopped

1) Combine the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Turn the heat up to high and allow to boil without stirring until the syrup reaches 375 to 380 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer (or until it turns a medium amber color, which should take about 8 minutes).
2) Remove the pan from the heat then add the cream and stir slowly over a low heat until the mixture homogenizes. Add the butter (with the salt if necessary), and the vinegar and stir until the butter melts.
3) Finally stir in the hazelnuts and pour the caramel over the cooled shortbread base. Cool until the caramel sets - this can take a while at room temperature so you may choose to refrigerate the two layers to speed up the process.

Chocolate Ganache:
2/3 cup heavy cream,
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate. chopped (Callebaut is a great brand)

1) Heat the cream in a saucepan until it just begins to boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate, and stir the cream and chocolate together until they are smooth.
2) Spread the ganache over the cool caramel and spread it so that it covers evenly. Chill the completed dessert until the ganache sets

You may cut the completed dessert into squares of your desired size if they are to be served straight away, but my family and I have preferred to just cut into the dessert whenever our hearts desire as the caramel can become runny.