T

iffin sits with a lot of childhood memories for me. I think its been overtaken by its more indulgent, American cousin rocky road in recent times but a traditional brandy punching tiffin is a winner. I do wonder if my childhood tiffin was quite as alcoholic.

Its a rich treat so be warned! You can make all sorts of substitutions to this recipe and its completely open to personalising. For example, its traditionally made using Digestive biscuits but I rather like the spice of a ginger nut and the contrast to the brandy.  I’ve made some suggestions below on how to adapt but feel free to go wild.

• 50g dried cranberries (or try raisins)
• 75g dates, chopped
• 4 tbsp brandy (or try Amaretto)
• 350g dark cooking chocolate
• 150g unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp golden syrup
• 250g biscuits – traditionally digestives but I use ginger nuts. You need a plain biscuit though so no oreos or custard creams.
• Zest of 1/2 orange

1. Grease and line a brownie tin or round 20.5cm tin with parchment
2. Put the cranberries, dates and brandy in a bowl and let them soak for 20-30 minutes
3. Melt 125g of the butter, 200g of the chocolate and the syrup in a bowl over simmering water stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat.
4. Crush the biscuits – I like to put them in a sandwich bag and bash them with a rolling pin. You get some large and small chunks and a bit of biscuit dust.
5. Add the biscuits, orange zest, a pinch of salt and the cranberry/date mix (including the brandy) to the chocolate and stir well.
6. Tip into the tin and level the mixture pushing it into the corners. Leave to cool before chilling for 1 hour.
7. To make the topping, melt the remaining 25g butter and 150g chocolate in a bowl over simmering water until smooth.
8. Pour over the chilled tiffin and smooth it out. Chill for 2-3 hours until the topping is set.
9. Remove from the fridge and cut into generous chunks and enjoy with a cup of tea on a blue Monday – it’ll help!