As with all my bakes in the last few weeks, there’s a Florida-inspired story behind today’s recipe. We flew out to Orlando from London Gatwick, and got to experience the calming atmosphere of Virgin Holiday’s V-Room lounge before our flight. If you know me IRL at all, you’ll know that I absolutely hate flying. It’s a long story, but it basically all boils down to my fear of not being in control. And flying is the ultimate test in giving control of your life over to someone else who you’ve never met.
Anyway, I’m digressing. Again.
Whilst hanging out in the V-Room, and I was trying not to have a break down, Katie was helping herself to the all-you-can-eat breakfast. Which apparently included some Maltesers tiffin. Because tiffin is almost a good breakfast choice, right? She flipping loved it though, and I quickly confirmed that I was sure I could throw something equally as yummy together once we got back home.
And so the WCB Maltesers Tiffin was born. The crunch in these squares of joy comes not only from Maltesers (of course) but also a decent helping of Rich Tea biscuits. I am really not sure if Rich Tea biscuits are a thing anywhere else in the world, but you can easily sub in some digestive biscuits or graham crackers if you can’t track down a Rich Tea. It’ll have a slightly different flavour, but it’s all down to personal preference really.
Maltesers Tiffin is definitely one of the easier recipes on my blog, but also has turned out to be one of the most popular with my family! Everyone loves Maltesers (or Whoppers if you’re American), and there’s something about a good old refrigerator cake which makes everyone ask for a second slice. This recipe is a guaranteed winner for school bake sales or office fundraisers, and is easy enough to bake with kids or complete baking novices. Basically, it’s the bomb.
If you’ve never made tiffin before, it’s essentially just a simple chocolatey syrup mixed with biscuit (or cookie) pieces, and whatever else you want to chuck in there. The possibilities are endless, but common favourites include cherries, raisins, nuts, and candy. I’ve skipped out on any fruit today in favour of going in hard on the chocolate, but you be you.
To keep things photogenic and super blog-able, I added some swirls of melted white chocolate and a generous handful of crushed Maltesers to the top, but if you want to keep it simple then melted milk or dark chocolate is never going to be a let-down.
The chopped Maltesers on top of my tiffin are a beautiful addition, but they will go slightly soft and chewy after a day or so, but this isn’t necessary a bad thing! Personally, I think getting the chewy Malteser in a bag of crunchy ones is like hitting the jackpot.
Maybe that’s just me.
Due to the hard chocolate layer on top, it can be a tiny bit tricky to cut this Maltesers Tiffin into squares, but if you take it out of the fridge for half an hour before cutting, it will make everything a bit easier. Get yourself a nice sharp knife, and don’t worry if it’s not perfect – there’s something charming about higgledy-piggledy rectangles of homemade tiffin.
- 125g (½ cup plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons (30g) caster sugar (US granulated sugar)
- 5 tablespoons (125g) golden syrup (or light corn syrup)
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 125g (4.4oz) Rich Tea biscuits (or Digestive biscuits or Graham Crackers)
- 175g (6.2oz) Maltesers (US Whoppers)
- 200g (7oz) milk chocolate
- 60g (2oz) white chocolate
- 60g (2oz) Maltesers (US Whoppers)
- Line an 8x8 inch square brownie tin with foil or baking parchment, and set aside. Place the butter, sugar, syrup, and cocoa powder into a large saucepan and heat on medium-low, stirring occasionally.
- Whilst the mixture is melting, place the Rich Tea biscuits into a heavy duty sandwich bag and beat with a rolling pin. You don't want to completely crush all the biscuits - you are looking for some sizable chunks in there too. Roughly chop the Maltesers in half using a sharp knife - don't worry if some of them break apart or lose their chocolate.
- Once the syrup mixture has completely melted, remove from the heat and add the crushed biscuits and chopped Maltesers to the saucepan. Stir together until all the biscuits and Maltesers have been covered with chocolate syrup, and then pour the mixture into the pre-lined tin. Press the tiffin mixture down until it is flat and compact, making sure to get right into the corners too.
- Break the milk chocolate into pieces and melt either in the microwave (making sure to stir every 20 seconds to avoid burning) or in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Pour the melted chocolate on top of the tiffin, and spread out evenly, covering the entire surface. Melt the white chocolate in the same way, and then drizzle on top of the milk chocolate. Use a toothpick or skewer to swirl the white chocolate around, creating a pattern. This doesn't have to be perfect!
- Chop the remaining Maltesers into pieces, and then sprinkle over the top of the chocolate topping. Press the pieces down into the chocolate to ensure that they stick once the chocolate has set. Place the tiffin in the fridge for at least three hours to set completely, and then remove from the tin and cut into 16 squares with a very sharp knife.
- This tiffin will stay fresh for 3-4 days if stored in an airtight container somewhere cool (not the fridge). The Maltesers on top may go a little chewy after a day or so, but that's not necessarily a bad thing!
