This easy chocolate tiffin recipe is one of my all time favourite no bake slices. Taking less than 10 minutes to prepare it is the perfect combination of crunchy and chewy, with a decent amount of chocolate thrown in too!
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What is chocolate tiffin?
Chocolate tiffin is a moreish British no bake chocolate slice or chocolate traybake. Crushed biscuits (traditionally digestive biscuits) are mixed with melted butter, golden syrup and cocoa powder then pressed in to a tin before a layer of melted chocolate is poured over the top. It in then placed in to the fridge to set. It has to be one of my favourite baking recipes, and one I would often make with mum growing up, long before I discovered its Australian cousins, the chocolate marshmallow Rocky road, or Hedgehog slice, which is pretty much chocolate tiffin with condensed milk. In fact I have just realised I have been making tiffin for over 30 years, so does that make it a retro cake like this school cake or chocolate chip flapjacks? You decide…
Why we love this recipe
- No bake – and fun for the kids to help bake.
- 6 ingredients.
- A delicious recipe to use up digestive biscuits, you can scale the recipe up or down to fit in with the amount of biscuits you have left over. It is also a great recipe to use up those biscuit crumbs at the bottom of the biscuit tin – something my mum used to do all the time!
- Makes a tasty edible gift – there’s something about a biscuit slice that people find hard to resist!
- It can be made ahead – the slice can be kept in the fridge for a few days, or freeze it until needed.
- It is a great recipe for when you want to do a little baking, but want something simple.
Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
- Biscuits – I use digestive biscuits, but you can use graham crackers or Arnotts shredded Wheatmeal, or any other biscuits such as shortbread or ginger nuts.
- Butter – unsalted butter. I have also made this fridge cake with margarine if you want a more budget friendly bake.
- Sultanas – or raisins.
- Chocolate – I like to use a mixture of milk chocolate and 70% dark chocolate, but you can use all milk chocolate or all dark – milk will make a sweeter slice.
- Cocoa powder – you can use natural cocoa powder or Dutch cocoa powder in this recipe.
- Golden syrup – this amber coloured inverted sugar syrup is a common ingredient in British baking recipes. Tate and Lyle golden syrup and CSR golden syrup are available in Australia. If you can’t find it substitute with light corn syrup, or maple syrup (although this does change the taste.)
How to make this recipe
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the crushed biscuits with chopped uncrystallised ginger, dried apricots and chocolate.
- Pour over the warm malted butter and stir to combine.
- Place in a lined tin and press down.
- Drizzle over a little melted chocolate.
- Refrigerate for a couple of hours.
- Cut into square, and enjoy!
FAQ
Tiffin has a buttery biscuity base that is topped with melted chocolate, whereas rocky road consists of melted chocolate with biscuit pieces and other additions mixed in.
Chocolate tiffin – not to be confused with the Indian-English word for a light meal – comes from Scotland.
Yes, tiffin should be kept in the fridge. If left at room temperature it may melt and become hard to eat, and also it won’t last as long (around 1-2 days)
Yes you can freeze homemade tiffin. Cut it in to squares, then wrap individually or place it all in an airtight container and freeze for up to 6 weeks.
My Recipe Tips
- Use the best quality chocolate you can.
- To make a gluten free slice: Use gluten free cookies. Keep in mind you may need to slightly adjust the amount of butter you use.
- White chocolate slice: you can make this into a white chocolate apricot ginger slice by using all white chocolate.
- Chocolate ginger slice: leave out the dried apricots.
Storage
- You need to keep it in the refrigerator, otherwise it can begin to melt if left at room temperature, especially on a warm day.
- Keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- You can also freeze this cake: wrap well and keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Variations
- Tiffin with cherries – halve the amount of sultanas/raisins and add 50g (¼ c) glace cherries / candied cherries.
- Gluten free – use gluten free digestive biscuits of another gluten free biscuit.
- Vegan – use coconut oil instead of the butter, vegan biscuits and vegan chocolate.
- White chocolate – swap the milk and dark chocolate for 200g (3.5 oz) white chocolate. You can also leave the cocoa powder out of the base if you wish.
More no bake chocolate recipes
Chocolate Tiffin
Author: Robyn
Ingredients
- 125g (½c) butter
- 1½ tablespooons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup
- 200g (2c) digestive biscuits, crushed or graham crackers
- 85g (½c) raisins or sultanas
- 100g (3.5oz) milk chocolate
- 100g (3.5oz) dark chocolate
Instructions
- Line a 20cm x 20cm (8" x 8") tin with baking paper.
- In a small saucepan, heat the butter with the cocoa powder and golden syrup over a low heat until the butter has melted.
- Meanwhile, crush the biscuits. You want them different sizes, some larger chunks and smaller crumbs. Add them to a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Add the raisins to the crushed biscuits.
- Stir the butter-cocoa mixture to combine, then pour over the biscuits and raisins.
- Mix well to combine. If there are some larger chunks of biscuit that haven't got coated in chocolate crush them slightly with the back of a spoon.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, pressing down well with the back of a spoon to make a smooth and even top.
- Place in the fridge while you melt the chocolate.
- Break the milk and dark chocolate into rough pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl on top of a pan of barely simmering water and leave to melt, stirring occasionally until melted. (You can also do this step in the microwave.)
- Pour the melted chocolate over the biscuit base and smooth out the chocolate to cover the biscuit evenly.
- Place in the fridge to set.
- Cut into 16 squares and enjoy!
- Store in the fridge.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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