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A homemade gingerbread shortbread, topped with homemade caramel, ginger chocolate and gingerbread men! Perfect gingerbread millionaires shortbread!

Gingerbread baking

As the weather cools and the festive season nears, few things feel as comforting as the warm aroma of gingerbread. With its blend of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, gingerbread brings a nostalgic, cozy depth to all kinds of bakes.

Start with Gingerbread NYC Cookies.. thick, chewy, and rich with spice, perfect for when you want a bakery-style treat with a seasonal twist. Then try classic gingerbread biscuits, crisp and perfect for decorating, gifting, or enjoying with a hot drink.

For something more indulgent, a white chocolate ginger cheesecake is a showstopper… creamy, spiced, and layered over a buttery biscuit base. And for a crowd-pleaser, nothing beats a gingerbread trifle: spiced cake, custard, whipped cream, and maybe a splash of caramel or orange zest.
Whether you’re baking for comfort, creativity, or celebration, gingerbread brings warmth and joy to every bite.

Spices

Ground ginger is obviously the star of the show when it comes to anything gingerbread, but most gingerbread bakes are made with a blend of warming spices. I like to use a mix of ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg in my recipes, and sometimes I’ll even throw in a touch of allspice or cloves for extra depth. You can keep it simple or layer up the flavours, but for me, the combination is what makes gingerbread so rich and cosy.

My gingerbread biscuit recipe is a great example; it uses more than just ginger, and even my gingerbread cheesecake has that lovely spiced warmth running through it. I just love how the spices come together. It makes each bite feel like a proper winter treat, full of comfort and festive flavour.

And while gingerbread is definitely seen as a Christmassy thing, gingerbread hot chocolates, shop shelves packed with biscuits—it’s 100% a year-round vibe in my kitchen. That said, I’ve typed the word gingerbread so many times now it’s starting to lose all meaning… and I’m not even close to done yet.

Shortbread

When it comes to the shortbread, it’s three simple ingredients. These ingredients need to be beaten together to make a crumbly shortbread dough that you press into the tin firmly, and you bake until golden to create the best homemade shortbread.

Unsalted butter – it’s important to use proper butter when it comes to shortbread for the best bake and taste
Sugar – I use caster sugar as it’s classic for shortbread, and you use it in the caramel as well
Flour – plain flour every time, you don’t want any extra raising agents in this

Of course, on this occasion, it’s also a spiced shortbread. I add a mixture of ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and a little allspice because it’s the perfect warming combination for the gingerbread millionaires theme.

Caramel

The caramel is homemade, and a personal favourite recipe of mine. Yes, you MUST MAKE YOUR OWN CARAMEL, using a caramel from a tin will NOT work, because yuck. It will honestly be such a sticky mess, and the taste of the caramel is completely different. You have to dissolve the sugar and butter on a low heat with the syrup and condensed milk, in a heavy based pan, and then turn up the temperature and boil for 5-7 minutes to make a thick and delicious caramel.

Butter – again, just like the shortbread, unsalted block butter should be used. A spread or margarine won’t work
Sugar – I use caster sugar for a classic caramel
Golden syrup – this adds flavour, and helps create the perfect set for the caramel that you are after
Condensed milk – the classic here – you want to use the full sugar version and make sure it’s condensed milk and not accidentally evaporated milk

Chocolate

I decided to not put any gingerbread themed goodies into the caramel, as I didn’t want to mess with it, but the chocolate on top? That was open for flavour. I did think about adding in more spices to the chocolate, but as I wanted the chocolate to stay quite sweet, I thought I would just add in some ground ginger. I literally just melted the chocolate and then stirred the spices in… that simple.

I then topped the melted chocolate with some gingerbread biscuits that were whole and crushed, just for a little decoration. You can just use regular ginger nut biscuits, or you can use a homemade biscuit.. or, leave it plain!

Tips & Tricks

I always find using this square tin the best for any traybake I make, as it makes the perfect depth for the bake. If you change the tin, you risk it not setting quite the same.
This bake will last for 7+ days, best in the fridge, or it can freeze for 3+ months.
You can adapt the spices to what you prefer such as leaving some out, or increase others
White chocolate is nice too use, but can be quite sweet – dark chocolate is also yummy