Chocolate Marshmallow Crispy Squares

Chocolate Marshmallow Crispy Squares

This week's sweet treat is a minor adaptation of Nigella's Marshmallow Crispy Squares. I used these before when making the Unikitty Treats. They are great for kids and adults, but incredibly moreish, so beware! These treats would be ideal for cake stalls and fundraising, with Comic Relief coming up...

Ingredients

• 45g butter
• 300g mini marshmallows
• 180g Rice Krispies
• 300g cooking chocolate, maybe even more

Method

• Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a low heat.
• Add the marshmallows and cook gently until they are completely melted and blended, stirring constantly.
• Take the pan off the heat and immediately add the cereal, mixing lightly until well coated.
• Press the mixture into lined 32cm x 23cm tin. I cover it with baking paper and press into the corners as it is very sticky. I also use a rolling pin over the top of the baking paper to make sure it is flat.
• Then carefully peel off the top layer of baking paper and leave it to cool completely in the tin.
• Cut it into small squares.
• Melt the cooking chocolate.
• Cover the squares in chocolate, let the excess drip off. Then lay them on a piece of baking paper, silicon baking mat, or even in individual cupcake cases to make them a little more special.

I did not manage to cover all of my marshmallow crispy squares with the 300g of chocolate. But the treats are lovely without the chocolate, so I was happy to have a mixture. You might want to use more chocolate if you want them all covered.

The girls were able to help make these treats. Their jobs were to stir the mixture until melted. Then when they were set and cut up, the girls did all the chocolate work. It was a great mess!

If you tried the chocolate marshmallow crispy squares, let me know what you think. Leave a comment below.
Also, I'm always looking for new ideas for baking/cooking, if you have any suggestions, leave a comment!

Fudge Slices - Traybake

When I was about 17 my after school job was looking after two early teenage girls. I would go to their house everyday after school until either their mum or step dad got home.

My little sister, Janis would also come to their house so that I could look after her too when my mum was working.

On Wednesdays we had half days at school, finishing before lunch. I got into the habit of buying Janis and I some lunch from a deli that was up the road from my school. We would have a roll each and a fudge slice. Their fudge slices were lovely. I don't think I had ever had them before and I don't really remember seeing them since until I was working in a school in Aberdeenshire.

At Mintlaw Academy, Aberdeenshire, the Business Studies classes would have to come up with an Enterprise Initiative every year. One year they came up with the idea of creating and publishing a recipe book. They invited all the members of staff to contribute a favourite recipe or two. I was very much into savoury cooking then, and  I added a Chinese recipe that I loved.

What was great about the book was that the recipes were tried and tested by home cooks. A lot of the recipes were family favourites, probably passed down from previous generations. Included amongst them was a recipe for fudge slices.

It had probably been 15 years since I had a fudge slice from the Deli in Currie, just up the road from the High School. But I thought these ones were a pretty good likeness. Regardless of whether or not they were the same, they were bloody delicious!

I've made this recipe A LOT, my mum now makes it and I've passed it on to Janis and my sister in law. I don't know anyone who doesn't like these. Elizabeth and Rebecca got one in her their lunches this week, and Jeff took some in to his work for his birthday.

I've made my own tweaks to get them just right.

Ingredients

• 4oz soft margarine
• 2tbsp sugar
• 2tbsp golden syrup
• 1 small tin of condensed milk
• 9oz biscuits blitzed in the food processor
• 1 pack of milk chocolate, melted to spread on top

Method

• Melt the marg, sugar, golden syrup and condensed milk in a pan over a low heat.
• Bring it to a gentle boil.
• Let it boil for at least 5 minutes, until the colour has darkened to a caramel colour.
• Take it off the heat and beat it with the electric beaters until it has thickened - when it's coming away from the sides of the pan. This will probably take about 5 minutes.
• Add in the biscuits and mix well. The mixture should all come together like a dough.
• Press and spread the mixture into a baking tray. I use a 30cm/20cm deep tray. I also line it in advance with clingfilm so that the edges are nice and smooth and it's easy to lift out of the tray to chop up when it's set.
• Spread the melted chocolate evenly over the top.
• Put it in the fridge to set.
• Cut it into squares or rectangles, whatever takes your fancy. Small might be best because they are very morish!