These little bars are my new favourite recipe - they're supereasy to make and absolutely delicious. A friend of mine is hosting a Gruffalo themed party for her son this weekend, and it suddenly hit me that they could definitely pass for the Gruffalo Crumble in the book; with their brown chocolate fudge centres and crumble-esque topping; so it clearly had to be done. So I did. And I'm not sorry, either.
Please note that I only have an edible-ink paper and crappy card with a sheen that immediately fades on printing - I'm sure if you used normal card and proper ink, you'll get a much better little sign! The perfectionist in me is seething right now. I'm just going to have to try to let it go. But it pains me, just so you know.
Anyhoo, here's the incredibly simple recipe:
For the Chocolate fudge:
200g Milk Chocolate
200g Dark Chocolate
400g tin of Light Condensed Milk
Melt chocolate (I tend to do mine full power in the microwave for 2 minutes, then stir and leave to rest for a moment before stirring again). Add condensed milk, stir well.
For the Crumble Cookie mix:
1 1/4 cups Butter (approx 250g)
1 1/4 cups Granulated Sugar
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (Neilsen Massey- oh yeah, baby)
1 1/2 cups Plain flour
1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
3 cups oats
1.5 cups desiccated coconut
Preheat oven to approx. 170 C degrees, fan assisted.
Beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon; mix well. Stir in oats and coconut. Press half the mixture into the bottom of a baking sheet
(preferably at least 2 inches deep - mine is 10x13 inches) that's been lined with baking parchment for easy removal of your crumble bars.
Add the fudge and spread to cover the base. Crumble the rest of the cookie mixture over the top - no need to press down, and little gaps are fine so as to reveal the Gruffalo goodness contained within. Bake for approx 25-30 minutes until edges are golden brown. Leave to cool completely, before turning out and cutting into small bars.
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| Just out of the oven. Must not nibble, must not nibble. |
Makes A LOT, but will depend on the size of the bar you cut - I favour bite-size for parties, as there are other things to nibble on too. You can always go back for more. And you will, oh.. you will. Muahahahah *cough cough* hahahaha! Mine cut into 42 pieces, but if anyone asks, it was 32, okay?
Have shared the image I used to make the tags (could also be cut out and attached to a stick to make a sign for your dessert table): please note that the original image is not mine, so please just stick to personal use. Note: font is called 'Thicket' and available for free download here if you wanted to make coordinating invitations or stationery.
