No-Bake Toffee Crisp Slice

Do you like Toffee Crisp bars? Well, now you can make them at home for half the price!

I love Toffee Crisp bars (well, the ones you get in Ireland and the UK): the lovely chocolatey rice crispie bar, the chewy caramel layer, covered in chocolate.... it's absolutely delicious! They used to sell homemade toffee crisp squares in the college cafeteria where I studied for my bachelor degree.

Making them at home is super simple: the layers are all very easy to make, and doesn't require any oven baking! Just a hob to make the caramel.

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DIFFICULTY
No baking required, but uses stove top cooking

TIME

About an hour

RECIPE RATING

Easy!

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INGREDIMENTS

For one 8 inch (20 centimetre) square tray of squares

For crispy base

150 grammes (5⅓ ounces) rice crispies or cocoa pops

250 grammes (9 ounces) plain or milk chocolate

50 grammes (1¾ ounces) margarine, or butter

For caramel

200 grammes (7 ounces) condensed milk

75 grammes (2½ ounces) salted butter

35 grammes (1¼ ounces) light brown soft sugar

1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) vanilla essence

Salt, to taste

For chocolate topping

125 grammes (4½ ounces) milk or plain chocolate, or a combination

20 grammes (¾ ounce) sunflower oil

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METHOD

• Line a 20 centimetre (8 inch) square tin with non-stick baking paper.
• Melt the margarine, or butter, and chocolate for the base slowly together in a heatproof bowl over low heat. If you're using butter, the microwave works well, but not with margarine.
• Once completely melted, stir in the rice crispies or cocoa pops and mix thoroughly until each crispy is coated.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and flatten the top. Pop in the fridge while you make the caramel.
• Make the caramel according to the instructions in my millionaire's shortbread recipe, or on the Carnation UK recipe. Pour the caramel over the top of the crispy layer and spread out well.
• Melt the chocolate for the topping with the oil, either in the microwave or in a bowl over hot water, stirring well. Pour over the caramel while everything is still warm.
• Allow to cool completely to room temperature before chilling in the fridge for about an hour, or until the topping is set, before cutting and serving.

Strawberry Crumble Bars (Wheat Free)

Recently I've been kerbing my sweetie intake, and limiting myself to one 100 calorie helping of sweeties a day, whether that's from a few different things or in one sitting. I've been feeling wonderful since I started making myself eat at certain times of day, and eat an entire 400-500 calorie meal in one go. I feel so full, and full of energy!

But, I am still getting my baking fix through baking for other people and events: I was in charge of the Tuesday Treat this week in work, so I made these to bring in tomorrow: Strawberry Crumble Bars!

I wanted to knock up something simple that had limited post-baking-bowl-licking potential (I'm a terror for eating leftover chocolate cake mixture from bowls, and raw shortbread dough isn't as nomable because of the hit of raw flour), and I had half a jar of strawberry jam in the cupboard that needed rid of.

These are actually based off a recipe in one of my grandma's old cookery books, but the recipe in her book used blackcurrant jam. These are a very basic Scots shortbread mixture (1 part sugar, 2 parts butter, 3 parts flour) with jam and a few oats sprinkled on top; not really recipe worthy stuff to be honest. But I'll include the recipe anyway!

FREE FROM

☑ Soya (check for soya lecithin)
☑ Yeast
☑ Wheat
☑ Eggs

CONTAINS
☒ Gluten
☒ Dairy
☒ Refined sugar products

INGREDIMENTS:

• 2 ounces (55 grammes) icing sugar
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) butter, room temperature
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) white spelt flour
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) cornflour
• 2 tablespoons (30 millilitres) rolled oats
• About 6 tablespoons (90 millilitres) strawberry jam, or jam of your choice
• Caster sugar for sprinkling

METHOD

• Preheat your oven to 170°C (325°F, Gas Mk.3, or moderate). Lightly dust a wide loaf tin with flour.
• In a mixing bowl, beat together the icing sugar and butter until smooth and creamy. Work in the flour with a wooden spoon, or by hand if it's too stiff for the spoon. It will be very crumbly, but that's what you want.
• Divide the crumbly mixture in three (roughly 4 ounces (115 grammes) each), and press two thirds of the mixture into the tin. Stir the oats into the remaining third.
• Spread the jam on top of the shortbread base evenly. Sprinkle the oaty crumble over the top.
• Place the tin in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crumble is a pale golden colour.
• Remove from the oven and place the tin on a wire rack. Sprinkle a little caster sugar over the top while still warm, and score into 12 pieces in the tin while still warm. Allow to cool completely in the tin.
• Once cold, remove carefully from tin, and then cut along the scored lines with a sharp knife.

These were a lovely sticky sweet treat; I had a nibble off one my brother was eating (he now shares an office space with me). You can use any jam you want, I just happened to have strawberry in the cupboard, but I can imagine these would be lovely with raspberry jam.