Marathon slice
I have actually got my act together this month and this is my entry into the We Should Cocoa Monthly Challenge that the wonderful Choclette and Chele host. This month’s challenge is to create something that has both caramel and chocolate and Chele is hosting over at The Chocolate Teapot.
My automatic reaction to that is, of course, Millionaire Shortbread, but I thought I needed something a little more imaginative than that. My second musing led me down the Snickers route. Now being a child of the seventies and growing up in the UK the Snickers bar will never really be a Snickers bar, but instead will forever remain a Marathon (if you click on the link you will find that I am not alone). Why exactly do they have to change the name of things? Don’t even get me started on a Starburst! What, may I ask, ever happened that deemed Opal Fruit such a bad name?
Anyway, before something innocent gets kicked, this is my homage to the Marathon bar – long may it live.
It’s very similar to the lovely Millionaire Shortbread, except the for the base I used a peanut butter cookie dough. If I had any unsalted peanuts in the house I would have added them to the caramel layer, but I hadn’t and it was cold so I couldn’t be bothered with going to the shops.
Be warned that this is very sweet and you will probably need to run a marathon afterwards to get rid of all the calories consumed.
For the base:
150g (5oz) butter, softened
75g (3oz) crunchy peanut butter
75g (3oz) caster sugar
75g (3oz) dark soft brown sugar
1 egg
150g (5oz) plain flour
Method
Cream the butter, peanut butter and the sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well. Add the flour and mix to a sift dough.
Lightly grease a 20cm square cake tin and spoon the dough in, levelling off the top.
Cook in a preheated oven at 180°c, gas mark 4, or the baking oven of the Aga for 20- 25 minutes until lightly golden and fairly firm to the touch. Place the tin on a wire rack to cool completely.
(You could use this recipe to make peanut butter cookies instead, just drop spoonfuls onto a tray and bake at the same temperature for about 10-12 minutes.)
For the caramel layer:
150g (5oz) butter
150g (5oz) dark soft brown sugar
400g (14oz) tin of condensed milk
Method
Place the butter and sugar in a pan over a gentle heat and stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Add the condensed milk and stir until the mixture begins to boil. Take it off the heat and allow to cool for a minute and then pour over the biscuit base. Allow to cool completely.
For the chocolate layer:
150g (5oz) milk chocolate, melted
25g (1oz) plain chocolate, melted
Pour the milk chocolate all over the caramel layer and spread evenly with a palette knife. Drizzle the plain chocolate over the top to create a marbling effect. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Cut into small squares and enjoy with a cup of tea and a happy memory of the Marathon bar.
