Chocolate tiffin

Chocolate tiffin is a wonderfully easy and tasty no-bake treat that needs only a few ingredients and few minutes to prepare. Perfect as an afternoon pick-me-up, lunchbox snack or party treat. Sure to be a fan favorite whenever you enjoy!

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I'm sure most of have memories of treats that came up often when we were young. For me this included scones and jam as a treat at home, then things like "tray bakes" as they are known in the UK - bars in the US or slices in Australia - as things we might make for a bake sale or party. 

These larger-scale treats are perfect for a whole range of scenarios. Maybe you are a newer cook, looking for something easy to get started with. You might be introducing kids to the fun (and tastiness!) of getting in the kitchen. Or you are simply a perfectly capable cook that needs something quick and/or suitable to serving a number of people. 

This chocolate tiffin is a great example that's perfect for all those scenarios. The only skills you need are to be able to measure, melt and mix. And best of all, the result is one tasty treat. 

Where is tiffin from?

For many, if you hear the name or look up "tiffin", you'll have the Indian meal that typically comes in small stacked tins in mind. However in Scotland, tiffin means this no bake bar. Interestingly, though, the two may be related. 

In terms of the Indian meal, "tiffin" derives from "tiffing", an English colloquial term meaning to take a little drink. The idea evolved during the British Raj from the English habit of having afternoon tea to the light meal tiffin that's popular now. 

Scottish tiffin is in many ways a similar idea, in that it's a snack you might have with afternoon tea. Just it's  sweet instead and is just one thing rather than a style of eating.

The exact origins of chocolate tiffin is a little unclear. Some say it was created in the early 1900s in Troon in the North of Scotland, but not all agree. It has been made commercially by Cadbury's at various points, originally in 1937, though their version is more chocolate-heavy.

These days, it's probably most popular as something you'll make at home or find in tea shops and cafes. It can also be called fridge cake or biscuit cake, but the idea is the same. And I definitely recommend giving it a try.

What is in chocolate tiffin?

As with many older recipes, you will find a few variations but essentially tiffin has two layers. The bottom is a mix of crushed biscuits (cookies), butter, golden syrup, cocoa powder and usually raisins (and occasionally glacé cherries). Then on top is a layer of chocolate that holds it together and adds an extra level of indulgence.

The biscuit/cookie part can typically be either digestive biscuits or rich tea biscuits. Both are a relatively plain style which fits given the chocolate they'll be paired with. I have seen some versions with ginger snaps which I am sure is tasty but certainly less typical, to me. 

If you are not in the UK and struggle to find digestives (I often do), then you can instead use graham crackers or something like Marie biscuits instead. Plain (not coated in chocolate), easy to crumble and not too rich are what you are looking for. 

Golden syrup can also be a little harder to find, but I do recommend hunting it down as it has a unique flavor that adds a lovely depth, as well as sweet stickiness. I can get it in a local larger supermarket in the US, so it may be there, you may just not have noticed. And you can buy online. It keeps well, too, so can be used for other things, like Anzac biscuits.

If you can't find it at all, you could swap in honey instead, though the flavor is not quite as rounded. Maybe swap in a small amount of maple syrup for a rounder flavor.

Is tiffin the same as rocky road?

In case you are thinking the ingredients sound familiar, or it looks like something else, you wouldn't be entirely wrong. Rocky road is indeed a very similar treat - it's also no bake, and made with crushed biscuits/cookies and chocolate.

However rocky road also has marshmallows mixed into the base. If you include fruit (and often don't), it's typically glace cherries. Also, the base generally uses chocolate as the binder, sometimes with butter and/or golden syrup mixed in, rather than the base being more formed with the cookies and the butter-syrup mixture as the "glue".

So very similar, but not quite the same. 

Tips for making tiffin

As I mention, this is really easy to make, but a couple tips to help it work well:

• Line your baking tin before you start. You don't want to be messing around lining it once the tiffin is ready to pour in. If you don't line the baking tin, it may stick and be tricky to cut into pieces.
• Break the biscuits/cookies in a sealable bag with a rolling pin. Yes, a food processor would be quicker, but you are looking for a few chunks in there, not all crumbs. This is a lot easier to do by hand. After you break up on one side, turn the bag over as some larger pieces likely fell to the bottom. 
• Warm the butter, golden syrup and cocoa powder over a low heat. You want them all to melt and combine, not burn, so don't heat them too much. 
• To melt the chocolate, use either a double boiler (bain Marie) or melt in short intervals in the microwave. Both allow you to melt gradually so it becomes smooth, pourable and doesn't separate or seize.

After you have pressed the base into the baking tin, pour over the chocolate and then either leave to firm up or place in the fridge to help it set. Just watch that you don't leave it in too long as it can cause bubbles of moisture or discoloration. You are best to only leave in briefly, then remove and cover well, either before or after cutting up. 

To cut into pieces, take the whole block out of the tin and place on a chopping board. To cut smooth edges, either leave the block at room temperature a few minutes or run your knife under hot water. This helps cut through the chocolate layer without it cracking.

Chocolate tiffin is easy to make, and easy to love. It's sweet, chocolatey but with that bit more texture to it, too. Perfect for an anytime snack, whether for a crowd or save it for yourself!

Try these other tasty bar-like treats:

• Lemon slice (another no-bake treat, made with cookies, coconut and lots of lovely lemon flavor)
• Ginger crunch (with a shortbread-like base and rich, ginger-flavored topping, this classic New Zealand slice/bar is easy, sweet and delicious)
• Baklava (OK maybe less bar-like, though also great for sharing and so tasty with layers of crisp pastry, nuts all wrapped in honey-based syrup)
• Peppermint slice (with layers of biscuit/cookie base, peppermint icing-like filling and chocolate, it's a delicious and easy treat)
• Plus get more snack recipes, both sweet and savory, and British recipes in the archives.

I use this 9x9 inch square baking pan for this that works well (and has a lid, handy for storing any leftovers; affiliate link).

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

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