This no-bake, Small Batch Festive Chocolate Biscut Cake is basically a Christmassy, slightly more grown-up version of Rocky Road. Made with a combination of milk and dark chocolate for the perfect combination of bitter and sweet, it also includes crumbled amaretti biscuits, roasted, salted almonds and dried cranberries. The whole thing is finished off with a drizzle of white chocolate to make the bars look super pretty on your festive table this year!

Because there’s always so much chocolate and so many sweet treats around this time of year, I developed this as a small batch recipe: it only makes 12 small pieces (though it’s pretty rich, so that’s perfect!), so you can don’t feel overwhelmed by yet another chocolate-y treat! If you’d like to make a bigger batch, feel free to scale up the recipe and use a bigger tin.

Table of Contents

• Ingredients
• Method

Ingredients

To make this festive chocolate biscuit cake, you will need the following ingredients:

• Dark, milk & white chocolate

This biscuit cake uses a combination of dark and milk chocolate, for the perfect, sweet, but not-too-sweet combination. If you prefer, you can use all dark, or all milk. You will also need a small amount of white chocolate to drizzle over the top of the bars, but this is an optional step (it just makes the bars look SO pretty!).

• Golden syrup

Golden syrup is melted with the chocolate to make the bars slightly soft and fudgy (and easier to slice!).

• Unsalted butter

Like the golden syrup, this is combined with the chocolate to keep the bars nicely fudgy and sliceable, but it also makes them extra rich. I would recommend using unsalted butter, because there are already other salty elements in the recipe— it’s still a sweet treat, after all!

• Amaretti biscuits

These are crisp, Italian almond biscuits that are often served alongside coffee. They’re readily available in supermarkets across the UK these days and they add great crunch and flavour to these bars.

• Roasted, salted almonds

To echo the almond flavour of the amaretti, I’ve used almonds in this biscuit cake (though you could substitute them with another nut (or even just more biscuits), if you prefer). Using roasted almonds helps to ensure the bars have a really nutty flavour, while the saltiness really help to balance out the sweetness of the bars.

If you only have plain almonds, you can turn them into roasted & salted almonds super easily! Dissolve a generous pinch of sea salt in 1 tsp of hot water, then toss with the almonds, until they are completely coated. Bake the almonds at 180°C for about 5 minutes (or throw them in the airfryer at the same temperature, for the same amount of time), until golden and nutty-smelling. Allow them to cool before chopping and using in the bars.

• Dried cranberries

What could be more festive than cranberries? Traditionally, biscuit cake contains raisins, but cranberries add the same chew with extra festive-ness, plus, they’re more tart than raisins, so they help to make sure these bars aren’t too sweet. I recommend using unsweetened dried cranberries, if you can find them.

• Coarse sea salt

This is optional, but I like to sprinkle a small amount of coarse sea salt over the top of the bars before they go into the fridge to set. This echoes the saltiness of the almonds and makes these bars feel extra grown-up and delicious!

Method

To make the bars, start by preparing your tin. Like with my small batch pecan bars, I’m using a 900g (2lb) loaf tin (21cm x 11cm x 7cm), but you can use any shape tin, as long as it’s a similar size. Line the tin with baking paper, so that the chocolate mixture doesn’t stick to the sides of the tin and you can remove it easily.

Next, prepare your mix-ins. First, crumble up the amaretti cookies. Aim for small chunks— too big and your bars won’t be even, too small and you won’t get that nice, crunchy texture! Amaretti cookies are quite fragile, so it shouldn’t require too much force to break them.

Chop the almonds roughly. Again, you don’t want them too big or too small (though honestly, it doesn’t really matter— the bars will still taste great, so do whatever you feel like!)

For the cranberries, just leave them whole.

Next, prepare the chocolate mixture. Place both the milk and dark chocolate, along with the butter and golden syrup into a small saucepan and set over a low heat.

Stir frequently as the chocolate and butter melts.

Once you have a smooth mixture, remove the pan from the heat. It’s important that you don’t overheat the chocolate, because it might seize (at which point you’d have to start all over again!).

Pour out about 50g of the chocolate mixture into a separate bowl. Set this aside for later, when you’ll use it to level out the top of the bars, to make them extra pretty!

To the rest of the chocolate mixture in the pan, add the crumbled amaretti cookies, the chopped almonds and the dried cranberries.

Mix everything together thoroughly, until all of the mix-ins are completely coated in the chocolate mixture.

Tip the mixture into the lined tin and spread out into an even layer. It will seem like there’s not a lot of mixture, but just spread it out evenly— because these bars are small, they don’t need to be too deep to look proportional.

Pour the reserved 50g of the chocolate mixture all over the top of the bars, and gently spread it over the surface to fill in any gaps and level everything out a little.

Now, it’s time to decorate. Drizzle some melted white chocolate all over the surface of the bars— the messier the better!

Sprinkle over some coarse sea salt while the chocolate is still wet, so that is sticks.

Put the whole tin into the fridge to firm up for at least 3 hours, or until firm enough to slice. Once it’s chilled, remove it from the tin and transfer it to a chopping board.

Once chilled, cut the biscuit cake into 12 small bars and dig in!

The bars will keep in an airtight container at a (cool) room temperature for 4-5 days, but, if your house is particularly warm, I’d recommend storing them in the fridge to prevent the chocolate from melting!

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Small Batch Festive Chocolate Biscuit Cake

This rich, grown-up version of Rocky Road contains a 50/50 blend of milk and dark chocolate, alongside crumbled amaretti cookies, salted almonds and dried cranberries. The perfect, quick and easy, no-bake recipe for Christmas!

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine British, Italian

Keyword almond, Amaretti, Cranberry, Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Chill Time 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Servings 12 small pieces

Equipment

• 1 900g (2lb) loaf tin (21cm x 11cm x 7cm)

Ingredients

• 90 g milk chocolate, roughly chopped.
• 90 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped.
• 60 g unsalted butter
• 50 g golden syrup
• 70 g amaretti biscuits, broken up.
• 40 g roasted, salted almonds, roughly chopped.
• 30 g dried cranberries

To decorate:

• 15 g white chocolate, melted.
• Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling.

Instructions

• Line the tin with greaseproof paper and set aside.
• Place the milk and dark chocolate, unsalted butter and golden syrup into a small saucepan and set over low heat. Stir gently while the mixture melts together.
• Once the mixture is smooth and completely melted, remove from the heat immediately. Pour about 50g of the mixture into a small bowl for later.
• To the remaining chocolate mixture in the pan, add the crumbled amaretti cookies, the chopped almonds and the dried cranberries. Mix well to coat everything in the chocolate mixture.
• Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth out into an even layer. Pour over the reserved chocolate mixture and smooth over to level out the surface.
• Drizzle the melted white chocolate all over the surface of the bars, then sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
• Place the bars into the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours, or until firm enough to slice. Remove from the tin and slice into 12 small pieces to serve. The bars will keep at room temperature, in an airtight container, for 4-5 days (though, if the weather is warm, I would recommend storing them in the fridge).

Table of Contents

• Ingredients
  • For the Shortbread Crust:
  • For the Pecan Filling:
• Preparing the Tin
• Making the Shortbread Crust
• Making the Pecan Filling
• Recipe

Ingredients

For the Shortbread Crust:

• Unsalted butter

The butter needs to be very cold for this recipe, so use it straight from the fridge. I prefer to use unsalted butter, so that I can control how much salt goes into the bars, but feel free to use salted butter and omit the salt in the recipe.

• Plain flour

You don’t want the shortbread to rise/puff up, so it’s important to use plain flour (also known as all-purpose flour), not self-raising!

• Cornflour

A small amount of cornflour (also known as cornstarch) is added to the shortbread to make it extra tender. If you don’t have cornflour on hand, just leave it out and increase the flour to 110g- the shortbread will still be delicious.

• Icing sugar

I use icing sugar in the shortbread base, instead of caster sugar, because I think it gives a softer, more tender result.

• Salt

A small amount of salt is added to the crust, just to offset the sweetness and balance the flavours.

For the Pecan Filling:

• Unsalted butter

Much like with the crust, I prefer to use unsalted butter, so that I have control over the amount of salt in the bars. If you would prefer to use salted butter, just omit the salt in the recipe. Unlike the crust, this butter does not have to be cold from the fridge, because we’re just going to be melting it anyway.

• Maple syrup

I like to use maple syrup for these bars, because I love the flavour and think it compliments the pecans really well. You can substitute the maple syrup with an equal amount of honey or golden syrup, but the flavour will be different and the filling may be paler in colour.

• Double cream

You only need a small amount of double cream for this recipe, but it really helps to give the pecan filling a smooth, moreish texture.

• Light brown soft sugar

Brown sugar helps to give the filling a deep, caramel-y flavour. You could also use dark brown soft sugar, if you prefer, for a deeper, more treacle-y flavour, but I wouldn’t recommend using caster/granulated sugar.

• Toasted pecans

To make pecan bars, you obviously need pecans! Gently toasting the pecans beforehand really helps to heighten the nutty flavour, so don’t skip that step. You can toast the pecans in the oven/air fryer (180°C for about 3-5 minutes, until golden) or in a dry pan on the hob.

• Egg

Adding egg to the filling helps to bind the ingredients and set the filling, so that you can easily cut the pecan bars into squares.

• Vanilla extract

A dash of vanilla extract gives the pecan bars great flavour and really highlights the caramel-y notes.

• Salt

Salt is a really important ingredient in this filling- it helps to balance out the sweetness, but also works really well alongside the nuts to emphasise their flavour.

Preparing the Tin

For this small batch recipe, I like to use a 900g (2lb) loaf tin (about 21cm x 11cm x 7cm). With this size tin, you’ll get 8 square pecan bars (but you can cut as many or as few bars as you want!).

It’s very important to line the tin for this recipe, so that you can get the bars out! Because the filling is very sugary, it will stick to the tin if you don’t line it and you’ll be left with a big mess. Trust me: line the tin!

A really easy way to line a loaf tin (or any rectangular tin) is to cut a piece of greaseproof paper larger than the tin itself and place it underneath the tin.

Make 4 cuts into the paper towards the shorter sides of the tin, as pictured. Each cut should go right up to one corner of the tin.

Next, I like to fold the paper to help it slot into the tin more easily. Fold it twice: once along the two leftmost cuts and once along the two rightmost cuts.

Now, you can just push the greaseproof paper into the loaf tin, bending the longer sides around so they sit behind the shorter flaps, as pictured. Now, your tin is ready to be filled with delicious pecan bars!

I like to line the tin like this because a) it’s super quick and easy to do, b) it ensures the whole tin is covered, so the filling has nothing to stick to and c) it doesn’t require any extra butter to keep the paper in place. Because pecan bars are inherently very buttery, it’s nice not to have to add any more!

Making the Shortbread Crust

Start by preheating the oven to 170°C.

Place the flour, cornflour, icing sugar and salt into a bowl.

Then add the diced butter. Remember, the butter should be very cold- straight from the fridge. This helps the shortbread stay flaky and tender.

Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour ingredients until the mixture resembles the texture of breadcrumbs and there are no big lumps of butter left.

Tip the mixture into your lined tin and spread it out into an even layer.

Then, use the back of a spoon to compact the shortbread, pressing it down into an dense, even layer.

Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until the shortbread is just starting to turn ever so slightly golden around the edges. Don’t worry if you get some cracks (or lots, if you’re anything like me and this particular test batch), you won’t be able to tell once the bars are baked! While the shortbread is baking, you can make the pecan filling.

Making the Pecan Filling

Making the pecan filling requires a few extra steps, but it’s still a pretty simple process. The important thing is to not scramble the egg, so take extra care when incorporating the hot mixture!

Start by roughly chopping the pecans. This will make it easier to chop the bars later and will ensure that the pecans are evenly distributed throughout the filling.

Next, put the butter, maple syrup, double cream, light brown soft sugar and salt into a small saucepan over a medium-low heat.

Allow the mixture to melt, stirring every now and then to help combine the ingredients and ensure you have a smooth mixture.

Once the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat to medium and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Allow the mixture to boil away for 3 minutes, while you prepare the egg.

In a small, heatproof bowl, whisk the egg well, until the white and yolk are completely combined. This will help to make sure the egg incorporates evenly into the rest of the mixture and minimises the risk of cooked egg white!

Once the mixture has boiled for 3 minutes, you can add it to the whisked egg. It’s very important that you do this gradually, while whisking constantly, so that the hot mixture does not scramble the egg. Pour the hot filling into the egg in a slow, steady stream with one hand and vigorously whisk it into the egg mixture with the other hand (or you can get someone to give you a hand). Once all of the hot sugar mixture has been added to the egg, you can add the vanilla extract and whisk well to combine, making sure the mixture is completely smooth and combined.

Finally, add the chopped, toasted pecans to the filling mixture and stir in with a heatproof spatula, making sure that the nuts are completely coated in the filling mixture.

By this point, the shortbread crust should have finished baking, so pour the warm filling directly onto the hot base and use your spatula to level the nuts out into a nice, even layer.

Place the whole thing back into the oven to bake for a further 20 minutes, or until the filling is just starting to caramelise around the edges of the pan.

Remove the bars from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin, before transferring to a chopping board and cutting into squares.

Recipe

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Small Batch Pecan Bars

Pecan pie in bar form: these pecan bars have a shortbread base and a delicious maple filling. This recipe is specifically formulated to make a small batch- for when you're craving a pecan hit, but don't want to be overwhelmed by bars!

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword Maple Syrup, Pecan bar, Pecans, Shortbread

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 8 bars

Equipment

• 1 900g (2lb) loaf tin (21cm x 11cm x 7cm)

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 105 g plain flour
• 2 tsp cornflour (see Note 1).
• 45 g icing sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 50 g unsalted butter, cold from the fridge and diced.

For the filling:

• 60 g unsalted butter
• 40 g maple syrup (see Note 2).
• 3 tbsp double cream
• 50 g light brown soft sugar
• 1 generous pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 1 splash vanilla extract
• 120 g pecans, toasted and roughly chopped.

Instructions

Make the shortbread crust:

• Preheat the oven to 170°C (conventional oven). Line the loaf tin with greaseproof paper and set aside.
• Place the flour, cornflour, icing sugar and salt into a bowl, then add the cold, diced butter.
• Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and use the back of a spoon to press it down into an even, compact layer. Bake the crust in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until just starting to turn slightly golden around the edges.

Make the pecan filling:

• While the crust is baking, make the filling. Place the butter, maple syrup, double cream, brown sugar and salt into a small saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Stir every now and then as it heats up, to combine everything.
• Once the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat to medium and bring to the boil. Leave the mixture to boil undisturbed for 3 minutes.
• While the mixture is boiling, whisk the egg in a small heatproof bowl, until the white and yolk are completely combined.
• Once the filling has boiled, pour it into the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent the egg from scrambling.
• Add the vanilla extract to the filling mixture and whisk well until the mixture is completely smooth. Finally, stir in the chopped pecans.
• By this point, the shortbread base should have finished baking. Pour the warm filling onto the hot crust and level it out with a spatula. Then, place back into the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes, until the filling is just starting to turn a deeper colour around the edges.
• Allow the bars to cool completely in the tin before removing and cutting into squares. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Notes

1. Adding cornflour helps to make the bars a little more tender, but you can omit it, if you prefer. Just increase the amount of plain flour to 110g and continue with the recipe as normal.
2. I like to use maple syrup, because I love the deep flavour and colour, plus I think it compliments the pecans really well. If you prefer, you can substitute an equal amount of golden syrup or honey, but the flavour will be less intense and the bars will be paler in colour.

After 2 weeks of layer cakes, this week’s post is all about a simpler treat- the Mars Bar Rice Krispy Cake. This is a no-bake, quick and easy snack that has been a staple in our house for years. These bars may not look like much, but the taste is next level. Like, eat-a-whole-tray-and-still-want-more, next level. I’m convinced that there is no occasion that these aren’t perfect for. Bake sale? Perfect. Birthday party? Perfect. Saturday afternoon snack? Yes, please. Another brilliant thing about these bars is that they can be adapted to suit your purpose- the chocolate on top can be omitted, switched out with white/dark chocolate (even swirled with one or both), or topped with a variety of decorations- I’ve done Smarties before, but the world is your oyster- think sprinkles, nuts, popping candy, whatever you can dream up.

Now, I said these are easy to make and I stand by that. When it comes down to it, there are only four steps: you melt the Mars Bars, butter and golden syrup together, mix in the Rice Krispies, press the mixture into the tin and then top the whole thing off with melted chocolate. Simple, right? There are, however, a few little tips and tricks that I’ve picked up over the years that take these bars from great to really great.

First, though, a brief intermission for the melted Mars Bar mixture:

You are welcome.

Anyway, into the tips and tricks…

1. Be careful not to overheat your Mars Bar mixture as it is melting. If you do, your mixture will seize and you’ll be left with a mess. Not pleasant. Keep the pan over a low heat and stir frequently. Make sure that you dice both the Mars Bars and the butter beforehand- this will ensure they take less time to melt (and will, therefore, need less time over the heat) and that they melt evenly. A win all-round.
2. Once your Mars Bar mixture has melted, you need to work quickly. As the mixture cools down, it will start setting very fast. The more it sets, the harder it will be to mix in the Rice Krispies.
3. Use a flat-edged wooden spoon to mix the Rice Krispies into the Mars Bar mixture. Once you add the Rice Krispies, the mixture will get very stiff. Unlike, say, a rubber spatula, a wooden utensil will be strong enough to mix it. The flat edge is absolutely essential for scraping the Mars Bar mixture from the bottom of the pan, making sure you are able to mix the whole thing super thoroughly. It can take a lot of elbow grease and perseverance to get it to come together, but it will eventually!
4. You need to press the mixture into the tin very firmly. Trust me, this will make all the difference- if you don’t, your slices will be more prone to falling apart, the chocolate will sink into the gaps and the bars will look a lot messier. Use a metal spoon to spread out the mixture, then place your index finger on the head of the spoon for more pressure and really press it into the pan. Once you think you have it as tightly-packed as possible, firmly rub over the surface of the mixture a couple times with the spoon- this will pack it down even more and smooth off the top, giving you perfect slices later on.
5. Don’t worry about tempering your chocolate for the topping- it isn’t necessary! Because you’ll be slicing these up, you don’t want the chocolate to be incredibly snappy, or you won’t get clean bars. The chocolate still sets at room temperature, but it will take a little longer than tempered chocolate would (which, actually, works out perfectly because the bars themselves need some time to set too!).

Now that I have successfully made this recipe seem like an incredibly intense military procedure, let me assure you that these bars are actually super straightforward to make. I was making these by myself when I was in primary school! Even if you don’t mix the Rice Krispies in perfectly, or press the mixture into the tin quite hard enough, they will still be delicious. I mean, they’re mainly chocolate- how could they not be?

Let me know if you try these! I’d love to hear what you think.

Gemma

xxx

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Mars Bar Rice Krispy Cakes

Mars Bars, Rice Krispies & melted chocolate come together to form one quick & easy, no-bake treat

Course Dessert, Snack

Keyword Chocolate, mars bar, no-bake, rice krispies

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Setting Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 20 slices

Equipment

• 26x21cm baking tin
• 1 wooden spoon with a flat edge (see Note 1)

Ingredients

• 8 x 39.4g Mars Bars
• 45 g golden syrup
• 75 g unsalted butter, cubed
• 150 g Rice Krispies

To decorate (optional):

• 180 g milk chocolate

Instructions

• Line the tin with baking paper and set aside.
• Chop Mars Bars into small chunks. Place in a large saucepan, along with the golden syrup and butter, over a low heat.
• Stir frequently until both Mars Bars and butter are completely melted.
• Remove from heat and, working quickly, mix in the Rice Krispies until completely combined. The mixture will be very stiff, so this stage requires a bit of elbow grease.
• Once the Rice Krispies are fully incorporated, tip the mixture into the lined tin. Using a metal spoon, press the mixture firmly into the tin (see Note 2 for tips). Set aside while you prepare the chocolate for decoration, if using.

To decorate:

• Melt the chocolate (see Note 3).
• Once melted, pour the chocolate on top of the Rice Krispy layer and spread out to form an even layer. Leave the Rice Krispy cakes at room temperature to for about 40 minutes, they will be ready when the chocolate has set completely (though they will still need this time to cool down and firm up even if you do not use the chocolate decoration).
• Once set, remove from the tin and use a large knife to cut into rectangles. The bars can be served immediately, or they can be kept in airtight container for about a week.

Notes

1. A flat-edged wooden spoon is essential for this recipe. You’ll need it to ensure you can scrape all of the Mars Bar mixture off the bottom of the pan when mixing in the Rice Krispies. Once the Rice Krispies are in, the mixture becomes very stiff and a rubber spatula will be too weak to handle it, so you’ll want to stick to a stronger, wooden utensil. 
2. You need to press the mixture into the tin very firmly at this stage. If you don’t, the bars will be difficult to cut neatly, will be more prone to falling apart/crumbling and the chocolate decoration will sink into the gaps and look a bit messy. Use a metal spoon and spread the mixture into an even layer, then press very firmly, placing your index finger on the head of the spoon for extra control/pressure, all over. Once the mixture is relatively packed in, still pressing on the spoon head, rub the utensil back and forth over the surface to really press the mixture together. This will make such a huge difference!
3. For this recipe, you do not need to temper the chocolate- just melt it. I prefer melting chocolate in the microwave. Place it in a heatproof bowl and microwave on low power in 1 minute bursts, stirring between each burst, until completely melted.