The Best Tiffin Recipe For Kids

If you love munching on chocolates and biscuits, then tiffin is the perfect bite-sized combination!

With just a few ingredients, this no-bake delight is simple to make in literally minutes. This is also a  great introduction to ‘fridge-baking’ for little hands in the kitchen.

So what is tiffin? Traditionally this ‘moreish’ treat is a combination of crushed biscuits, chocolate, raisins and cherries. It has since evolved to include other yummy ingredients such as dried fruit, Maltesers, walnuts and even Rice Krispies!

For those who enjoy batch baking, you can easily make tiffin in large quantities and store well in the fridge or freezer. Chocolate tiffin is incredibly easy and quick to make with young children from age four onwards (with adult supervision), especially as it doesn't need oven baking.  It makes for a delicious teatime snack, great for parties and is a handy lunch box essential!

Its popularity even has the Royal seal of approval! According to her former personal chef, chocolate tiffin is one of the Queen’s favourite afternoon tea cakes. So much so, that she has them sent over from Buckingham Palace to Windsor when she’s there. So if it’s good enough for Her Majesty, then it’s certainly good enough for us!

Follow this step-by-step guide to making tasty tiffin treats for all the family. But bear in mind they’ll taste so good, they won’t last long!

Ingredients:

150 g Butter

3 tbsp Caster sugar

3 tbsp Golden syrup

6 tsp Cocoa powder

225g Digestive biscuits

110g Dark chocolate

110g Milk chocolate

Raisins

Glazed cherries (chopped)

Walnut pieces (optional)

Utensils:

Saucepan

A large heatproof bowl

Wooden utensil

Square or round baking tin

Total baking time: 15 minutes!

Kidadl Fun Fact: Did you know Prince William chose tiffin as his groom’s cake when he married Kate Middleton in 2011?

Method:

1.    Measure and place the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and golden syrup into the saucepan.  Heat until the butter has melted and the ingredients have mixed into the oil.  

2.    Now it’s time for biscuit-crushing (which kids will enjoy!) Place the biscuits in a sealed sandwich bag and crush into small pieces with a rolling pin. Chop your glazed cherries in half.

3.    Stir biscuits and cherries into your melted mixture in the saucepan.

4.    Add in your raisins to the mixture and stir thoroughly to combine all the ingredients.

5.    Get your baking tray and lightly grease with softened butter before pouring the biscuit mixture into it.

6.    Press down the biscuit mixture with a spoon to form a base. For a firmer base, use your hands.

7.    In another bowl, melt the chocolate over a saucepan of hot water. Or you can microwave in short 20 seconds bursts, stirring frequently.

8.    Place your baking tin in the fridge to chill for 2 hours.

9.    Cut into squares or bars and your yummy tiffin treats are ready to eat!

For vegans, just swap the chocolate for vegan dark chocolate and include tasty vegan gingernuts.

To stop your golden syrup from sticking to the measuring spoon, dip the spoon in boiling hot water first. This will help the syrup slide off easily into your mixture.

When chopping your cherries, raisins or any dried fruit, make sure everything is quite small. Otherwise, your tiffin may fall apart with too many large pieces.

To save you getting biscuit crumbs everywhere, put the biscuits in a sealed sandwich bag before you give it a good whack!

If you want to ensure your tiffin is really easy to remove from the tin, line with greaseproof paper that goes up the sides of the tin.

Tiffin is so delicious, you’ll want to make sure it keeps fresh. Tiffin usually keeps for about 3-5 days in the fridge, or in the freezer for up to three months.

If you want to save your delights for a special occasion or a rainy day, you can always freeze them. Once set, simply remove tiffin out of its tin and wrap tightly in clingfilm. Either put it in a container or straight into the freezer. Whenever you’re feeling peckish, just break off the pieces you need and let it thaw.

For children or anyone at home with nut allergies, they won’t have to miss out! Simply replace the nuts with healthy cranberries, dried apricots or sultanas.

If you fancy a change, you can vary the ingredients to include your favourite fillings or flavours. Just keep the basic ingredients which are crushed biscuits, butter, caster sugar and golden syrup. But you can change the type of biscuit, dried fruit or type of chocolate.

Alternative fillings include:

Terry’s chocolate orange pieces

Maltesers

White chocolate

Rice Krispies

Mini marshmallows

Dried cranberries

Flaked almonds