Rocky Road Crunch Bars

This recipe from Nigella Express is one that I was introduced to by one of my friends a few years ago when she had made it for our class.  It is chewy and chocolatey and crunchy and delicious.

Ingredients

125g soft butter
300g best-quality dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
3 x 15ml tablespoons golden syrup
200g Rich Tea biscuits
100g mini marshmallows
2 teaspoons icing sugar for dusting

Method

1.  Melt the butter, chocolate and golden syrup in a heavy-based saucepan.  Scoop out about 125ml of this melted mixture and put to one side.
2. Put the biscuits into a freezer bag and then bash them with a rolling pin.  You are aiming for both crumbs and pieces of biscuits.
3. Fold the biscuit pieces and crumbs into the melted chocolate mixture in the saucepan, and then add the marshmallows.
4. Tip into a foil tray (24cm square); flatten as best you can with a spatula.  Pour the reserved 125ml of melted chocolate mixture over the marshmallow mixture and smooth the top.
5. Refrigerate for about 2 hours or overnight.
6. Cut into 24 fingers and dust with icing sugar by pushing it gently through a tea strainer or small sieve.

Makes 24.

Instant Chocolate Mousse

Three years ago, I found this recipe for chocolate mousse that didn’t involve eggs (safer because of the uncooked eggs salmonella risk) in Nigella Express.  It involves mini marshmallows instead, and tastes really nice as well.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

150g mini marshmallows
50g soft butter
250g dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), chopped into small pieces
60ml hot water from a recently boiled kettle
1 x 284ml tub double cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Put the marshmallows, butter, chocolate and water in a heavy-based saucepan.

2. Put the saucepan on the hob, over heat, though keep it fairly gentle, to melt the contents, stirring at regular intervals.  Remove from the heat.

3. Meanwhile, whip the cream with the vanilla extract until thick, and then fold into the cooling mixture until you have a smooth, consistent mixture.

4. Pour or scrape into 4 glasses or ramekins, about 175ml in capacity, or 6 smaller (125ml) ones, and chill (in a fridge, just to specify) until you want to eat.

I intend to write my next post this Friday and then continue to post every Friday, so until then, have a great week!