As an alternative from both shortbread and brownies, try a combination of the two! The textures are delicious and they are the perfect thing for Christmas.
Ick. I am usually a very competent baker, so I felt just horrible when these came out all wrong. The shortbread was very tough and the finished brownies were impossible to slice without falling apart. The flavor is just so-so. I feel bad admitting that I think these were kind of a waste of the ingredients that I don't usually keep on hand (used up my walnuts and condensed milk)... I'm almost embarassed to bring them to work, except that I know any treat will be considered a good treat at work. I sent a bunch to work with my husband, too. I will update later if there are positive comments from our co-workers, but overall I do not think I'll even attempt to make these again- don't even care to try and fix whatever went wrong. Sorry.. it was fun to try something new, though! - 27 Jul 2006 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)
I consider myself a "dessert lover" and especially a chocolate lover. I also love shortbread. While I think this recipe is a good idea, I don't like the way it tastes. The shortbread crust doesn't have much flavor to it (I would add ground almonds or pecans to it for more flavor and a nutty crunch), and the "brownie" layer really doesn't taste like brownies at all. I think it's the sweetened condensed milk that makes them taste kind of strange. Rather than using that recipe, I would just layer my favorite prepared brownie mix (with chocolate bar pieces and nuts mixed in) over the top of the modified crust and bake it. I think it's a good idea, but this recipe just didn't "hit the spot" for me. - 18 Jun 2005 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)
These were smashing!!! They were really good! I used only 5 tablespoons of butter (1/2 cup seemed like too much) and half whole-wheat pastry flour in the crust. The crust had a great texture and taste. The brownie part was really gooey and yummy. I put in almost a whole cup of nuts because I wanted to use them up. I loved the nuts in this. Served warm with vanilla ice cream. Oh yeah... I used brown sugar instead of white in the crust; maybe that's what made it so tender and yummy. - 18 Dec 2005 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)