Marvellous Mars Bar Slice

After a few weeks at home following Sylvia’s birth, it was a shock to E to get back to work. She is sleeping better but he still has some disruptions to his sleep. So at the end of that first week I asked what he would like me to bake next. I felt he needed a little indulgence. He asked for chocolate rice krispy slice. Immediately I thought of mars bar slice.

I love chocolate but am happy to say that I consume less chocolate bars than I once did. (In my heyday of travelling I loved trying Snickers bars in every country – just for research, you understand!) They are just an occasional treat now. I confess to finding Mars Bars very moreish unlike some people who say they are too sweet or too filling. I was amazed to find that these bars were originally from the UK and are not found in America. Apparently they are similar to America’s Milky Way bars which are different to the UK/Australian Milky Way. How confusing. If you don’t know Mars Bars, just imagine a layer of nougat, a layer of caramel all covered in milk chocolate!

I shouldn’t be so surprised because E and I still come across different terminology from Scotland and Australia. In Scotland I loved hearing people referring to babies as the wee bairn because it seemed so uniquely Scottish! I recently found from E that he had never come across people calling a baby, ‘bubs’, which is quite common in Australia.

When E asked for rice krispy slice I knew what he meant. His rice krispies from the UK are what we know in Australia as rice bubbles. (Yes the ones that go snap crackle and pop!) I don't eat them now but often had them for breakfast as a child when no one was concerned about how many vitamins and minerals they contained! The slice I found in my Australian Women’s Weekly Cakes and Slices Cookbook was called Choc Top Crunchy Slice but it seems too vague to identify it. I have always called it Mars Bar Slice.

E held Sylvia to stop her crying while I cooked. It is hardly baking – just a bit of melting and mixing. It is the sort of slice that needs to set in the fridge but it tasted soooooo good warm with melty chocolate on top that we had eaten our fair share before it even reached the fridge. Once it had set, I kept it out of the fridge because it was so hard when really cold and we both prefer it softer.

E was upset when it was finished rather quickly. (Yes, I ate more than he did but he didn’t have the slice tempting him at home all day!) He kept telling me how much he loved it. I have said I will make some for his birthday. I highly recommend it despite it being full of processed food. But be warned that it is dangerously delicious and hard to resist.

I am sending this to Poornima at Tasty Treats for her For the Love of Chocolate event.

Mars Bar Slice
(from Australian Women’s Weekly Cakes and Slices Cookbook)

3 x 60g mars bars, chopped
90g butter, chopped
3 cups rice bubbles
250g milk chocolate, chopped
30g butter, chopped

Melt butter and mars bars in large saucepan over low heat. Continue to stir over low heat till mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Add rice bubbles and mix. Spread into small slice tin (18 x 28 cm).

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat or in microwave. Spread chocolate over rice bubble mixture. Cool and refridgerate a few hours till chocolate set. Use sharp knife to cut into squares. Serve at room temperature.

On the stereo:
Songs for the young at heart: Various Artists