Cranberry and Pecan Tiffin

Cranberry and Pecan Tiffin :: this is one ScRumPtiOuS recipe, and I'm delighted to be passing it on to you all. You're gonna love it. Your family and friends are gonna love it, and they will love you for making it and sharing it.

When it was J's birthday earlier this year, he told me quite matter of factly that he didn't want any presents, and he didn't want cake. No, what he really wanted more than anything else was homemade tiffin. And that is what he got.

This recipe is my own. I had never made Tiffin before J's birthday request, although I had eaten it. I have a faded memory of eating the most delicious, scrumptious cranberry and pecan tiffin someplace, somewhen, somewhere that I can't quite recall. But I remember how completely I loved it, and how that combination of the slightly sharp cranberries with the sweetness of the chocolate and the crunch of the biscuit was just divine. Heavenly.
I searched the internet for a cranberry-pecan-tiffin recipe and could find none. But there are a gazillion recipes out there for Tiffin (often known as Refrigerator Cake), and I found they all varied wildly in both the ingredients and the quantities. So I ended up kind of combining several different bits of various recipes to make my own version, based on that elusive memory of the original one I tasted in some unknown cafe in some forgotten place.

So to make this wickedly, heavenly recipe, you will need ::

200g digestive biscuits
100g dried cranberries
50g roughly chopped pecan nuts
200g good chocolate (I use half and half dark/milk)
200g unsalted butter (it HAS to be unsalted and it CANNOT be margarine)
2tbs golden syrup (or corn syrup in the US)

This is a very child friendly recipe, and it's also a no-bake recipe. It can also be a very messy recipe if you have Small Helpers.

Put the biscuits into a bowl and smash to bits. Use whatever implement you fancy...rolling pin, wooden spoon, your child. We started out with a wooden spoon, then went in with Little Lady's hands toward the end to break the crumbs up more finely.

You don't want to end up with dust mind you, so go steady with the pounding. The biscuit should be a mix of very fine crumbs and slightly larger bits too, as pictured above.

Assemble your cranberries, and roughly chop your pecan nuts.

 

Add the fruit and nuts to the smashed biscuit and mix well.

In a separate heatproof bowl, put the chocolate, butter and syrup and heat gently until melted. I used the microwave, heating for about 30-45 seconds at a time, then stirring, then heating a little more, then stirring until there is a lovely, luscious bowl of brown melty smooth deliciousness.

Ahhhhh the smell......it takes all my will power not to stick my face right in the bowl and slurp.

Now add the biscuit/fruit/nut mix to the melted chocolate/butter/syrup mix and stir well.

Pour into a lined tin (I used an 8inch/20cm square brownie tin, lined with baking parchment).

Then put the tray into the fridge and leave to cool/set...takes at least an hour, and this is by far the hardest bit of the whole tiffin-making experience, especially if you are doing it with Little People.

You can distract Little Minds for a good while by allowing them to clean the bowl out with their bare hands. Be warned, it will be Messy.

But once the bowl has been cleaned, the Pestering will begin.

Is it ready yet?

Can we check?

Is it ready now?

Can I go look?

I lost track of the number of times Little Lady went to the fridge to see if the chocolate had set, but there were a lot of little finger prints all over the surface of our tiffin.

No matter...it did eventually set of course....

....and it did eventually get eaten with mmmmmm's of appreciation. Words cannot describe how delicious this stuff is.

And Oh. My. Goodness. Just looking at these photos this morning is making me want to rush out the house this very instant to go buy the ingredients to make this again. Really. I'm seriously thinking to myself :: right, its 9am, the supermarket is open, if I put my coat on over my pyjamas and go right now this very minute, I could be eating cranberry and pecan tiffin with my (late) morning coffee.

Oh yeah.

See ya.....I'm off.............

Edited to add :: a note about digestive biscuits...I realise now, a very English ingredient. According to Wikipedia, in the US you can substitute with Graham Crackers, if this makes any sense??!!

Comments

[Louise]

Sounds lovely and looks wonderful! Congratulations on your blog award as well. Enjoy your weekend.

[ayse Yetis]

I wonder if dried cherries would be a good sub to the cranberries... :)))

[valerie]

might weel have a play tomorrow will have to distribute it through out the wider family though as not sure the people in the house will eat it and i don't want to eat it all myself!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sarah]

Have made all your recipes so far and they have all without exception been brilliant so no guesses what will be made this weekend! Just wish I could get the hang of the crochet as well ;-)

[Judy]

Thanks Lucy! I am going to look for those biscuits tho.

[Phillippa]

Wow- now it just found the right pick me up for today!

[Emma]

OOOOHHHHH wicked! I just HAVE to make these wonderfull munchy things! They look stunning!
Saliving away infront of the comp!

I just put on my blog my "tah-da" version your wellknown bag! Hope you'll come and check it out!

Take care!

[Judy]

Is the biscuit graham cracker here in the US? It looks so yummy!

[Lululiz]

You got me drooling now with those wonderful photographs and that delicious sounding recipe. I might just have to go out and do a spot of shopping as well x

[Julie]

I am definitely going to make some at the weekend

[Simo]

Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[driftwood]

just love how you write recipes Lucy - the tastes leap off the page x

[Lucy]

I am off to buy the ingredients right now x

[Nathalie]

Looks delicious. Something to try in the weekend.
Love your BB by the way.

You make every day a good day ; )

Thanks for charing all this goodness

Nath

[Jude]

193 comments..wow! well done!
Tiffin sounds luberly, maybe wait until it's cooler, otherwise I'll have choc running down my chin and a crumbly mess on my lap!!

[Jo]

yum

[Isabelle]

I can think of three little girls (and their mummy too) here who would love your recipe! Must try by the end of the school holiday! Have nice weekend!

[Alison Hutchison]

Off to buy ingredients as soon as I've got out of my pjs. Have a wonderful weekend. When you come up north you must try and go to this place http://www.re-foundobjects.com/ in Corbridge, have you been? Happy weekend xxxxx

[Carole]

PS forgot to say have a lovely weekend yourself and xxxxxx

[Lucy Bowler]

Must go on a diet. must. go. on. a. diet. must not read this post.... Help!

[Carole]

Ooooo thanks soooo much i`m off to the shops to get the ingredients and will make some for my friend who will be calling round for a cuppa this evening. It`s going to be a lovely weekend treat too.Oh & i joined 4 of my granny squares yesterday following your instuctions and it turned out brilliantly. Just got i don`t know how many more squares to crochet hey ho what fun.Luv Carole from Rossendale

[Hen]

Hi Luce,
That made me laugh, I can just see you in your pjs and crocs, off to the supermarket! My other half loves this sort of thing though we do a variation on "rocky road". My last batch had chopped up chunks of Crunchie in it and oh my, it was heaven. Not good for the ever-expanding waistline, sadly.
Have a lovely weekend.
Hen x

[Sue]

Sounds like the tiffin has cheered you up! :-)

[marigold jam]

Sounds delicious - I too make Tiffin although my recipe calls it chocolate refrigerator tray cake. Whatever it is delicious and very difficult to eat only one square. Love your blog - as always a delight to read and it sounds as if you are feeling better today. Do hope so.

Love
Jane

[Jackie]

Lucy ~ it looks very yummy and I think a little trip to the shops will be happening very soon to stock on the ingredients. I hope you have a lovely weekend :O)