This is the fifth year that the Wykes-Billingham family has lived in Beijing. They moved here from Kuwait for Rebecca Wykes’ job as an Early Years Foundation Stage teacher at the British School of Beijing (BSB) in Shunyi where her daughters Nancy (age 14), Anna-Sophie (12), and son Dominic (10) are enrolled.
We arrive at their sunny Capital Paradise apartment on Beijing’s first perfect spring day. Dominic is out with his buddies working up an appetite and collecting grass stains, so it falls to Nancy and Anna-Sophie to keep us entertained as we set up for the photo shoot and biscuit-making. Back from a sleepover, Nancy regales us with anecdotes from their game of truth-or-dare. Along with accumulating some pen graffiti on her arm, she has had to eat ketchup and cornflakes, and tell a stranger she loves them.
Of the three kids, Anna-Sophie is the next generation’s baker; she informs me that she will be inheriting Wykes’ handwritten recipe book, already loving inscribed with a dedication from Mum.
Today’s recipe for “millionaire’s shortbread” is a hand-me-down from Grandma. “When I was little my mum used to make this recipe and it’s still one of my favorites,” Wykes says. “She used to stand stirring the caramel endlessly on the stove but I ‘ve found a much easier recipe which allows me to make it in the microwave.”
For all her baking, Wykes is a hardcore Crossfit enthusiast with a diet to match. Although she sticks to one cheat day per week, “there is always a cake or something yummy in the biscuit tin!”
As though he smells the biscuit coming out of the oven, Dominic returns home from play just in time to have his photo taken and enjoy a fresh piece of shortbread.
Millionaire’s Shortbread 百万富翁酥饼
Approximately 20 servings 约20人份
Ingredients 成分
For the shortbread 脆饼用:
120g softened butter 120克软化黄油
60g caster sugar 60克砂糖
250g flour 250克面粉
For the caramel 焦糖用:
Two 400g tins of condensed milk 2罐400克的炼乳
100g of butter 黄油100克
100g of soft brown sugar 100克绵红糖
For the topping 装饰用:
250g chocolate (milk, dark, or white) 250克巧克力（牛奶，黑或白巧克力皆可）
Instructions 做法
1. Cream the butter and sugar together and add the flour. Mix all the ingredients together, then press them into a well-buttered rectangular baking tray (9 x 12 inches). 把软化黄油和糖搅拌在一起，再倒入面粉，混合均匀后，把其按入涂好黄油的长方形烤盘（9英寸x 12英寸。
2. Bake for 20 minutes until slightly golden at 170°C. 在170度下烤20分钟至微黄色。
3. While the shortbread is baking, put all the caramel ingredients in a microwavable bowl and microwave on high for three minutes. Remove and stir. Repeat for another three minutes. Be careful when you remove it from the microwave, as it will be very hot. Stir again. Return the mixture to the microwave for one minute, and stir again once it’s done. Repeat the process and keep stirring at one-minute intervals until the caramel sets on a plate. It should be smooth, with a rich brown color like the brown sugar and the consistency of set jam. 烘烤脆饼的同时，把所有焦糖用原料倒入一个可微波的碗内，用微波炉高温烘烤3分钟，取出并搅拌。取出时小心烫手。然后再加热三分钟，取出并搅拌。再加热一分钟，取出并搅拌，重复直到焦糖成型。成型的焦糖应当很顺滑，呈红糖一样的棕色，质地似果酱。
4. Take the shortbread out of the oven and pour the hot caramel over it. Leave the dessert to cool at room temperature, then chill in the fridge. 把烤好的脆饼拿出，把焦糖浇在脆饼上。放在室温下冷却一会儿后放入冰箱冷藏。
5. Once the caramel is set and cool to the touch, break the chocolate into small pieces and put it in a plastic bowl that fits over a pan of boiling water. Stir the chocolate in the bowl as it melts. 当焦糖晾干之后，把巧克力打碎成小块并且放入碗内，把碗放在沸水中加热，蒸化巧克力。
6. Pour the melted chocolate on the top of the chilled caramel and return the dish to the fridge until the chocolate has set. Once it’s set, cut the shortbread into squares and enjoy. 把融化的巧克力倒在焦糖酥饼上，放入冰箱，直到巧克力冷却成型。把脆饼切成正方形小块，然后就可以大快朵颐了。
This article originally appeared in the April 2015 issue of beijingkids. Click here to view the magazine online or contact distribution@truerun.com to find out how you can get your own hard copy.
Photos: Dave PiXSTUDIO
