Condensed milk is made by heating milk to a very high temperature until it becomes about 2and 1/2 times more concentrated than the original milk.
Grease a 20cm /8in square cake tin and line with baking paper. Seal the cookies in a polythene bag and crush with a rolling pin. Melt 90g /3 and 1/2 Oz butter in a pan. Stir in cookies. Press mixture into tin. Chill until required.
Put the remaining butter in the cleaned pan with the golden syrup and milk. Stir over a low heat until just boiling. Boil gently for 7-8 minutes, stirring constantly, until thick and light golden. Remove from heat. Cool for 5 minutes, then pour into the tin. Leave to set for 1 hour.
For the topping, break chocolate into squares and put in a pan with15g 1/2 Oz butter. Melt over a low heat, stirring. Pour over the layers of set caramel and spread level. Chill for 1 hour, or until the chocolate is set. Cut the chilled mixture into 25 squares with a sharp knife and carefully remove from the tin. Serve at once.
Condensed milk is very rich and creamy with a sticky texture. It i sold in the baking section of most supermarkets.
Melting the chocolate with butter in step 3 gives the topping a lovely fudgy texture and prevents it from becoming too hard.
These caramel squares make a delightful teatime treat or finale to a dinner party. For added indulgence, serve them with crème fraiche and hulled fresh strawberries.
