Vicki Montague, the Free From Fairy, shares her recipe for a delicious pudding that is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free and soya-free (check margarine).
Ingredients – about 20 slices
For the caramel:
1 tin full fat coconut milk
150g granulated sugar
50g light brown sugar
60g dark chocolate (preferably 70 per cent cocoa content – check dairy-free if necessary)
50g dairy-free margarine
1tsp vanilla extract
For the base:
60g granulated sugar
175g dairy-free margarine
250g plain flour
Zest of 1 orange
Method
1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees, 160 degrees for a fan oven.
2. Start by combining the base ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
3. Using a fork, mash the margarine into the dry ingredients until you have something that resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Push the mixture into a greased 20cm x 20cm square tin and place in the pre-heated oven for 30 – 40 minutes until firm and starting to slightly brown.
5. Leave to cool in the tin and meanwhile make the caramel.
6. To make the caramel, place the coconut milk, granulated sugar, brown sugar, margarine and vanilla in a large pan over a low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.
7. Once dissolved, turn the heat up to medium and, stirring continually with a whisk, allow to simmer for about 20 minutes or until thickened and reduced in volume by about half.
8. Add the dark chocolate and and stir until combined.
9. Poor the thickened mixture over the cooled shortbread and leave to set, ideally in the fridge once cooled a little.
10. If you can wait, it is best to leave it overnight before cutting so that the caramel sets properly, then slice into pieces the size you require (big for adults, tiny for kids!).