Traybakes a go-go

What do you bring when you want to make something to bring, but it has to be easy to transport?  Why, traybakes of course!  Silly you, fancy needing to ask that question.  We love a good traybake chez Becca and had some Rice Crispies left (Rice Bubbles for those Aussies among you) - for some reason The Team don't really fancy them as a breakfast menu item...

So, Mars Bar Slice it was.  I had been given some fancy, schmancy milk chocolate drops (possibly Callebaut, from a large 3kg bag I seem to recall) by a colleague of Mr Becca's, and a friend, and was pleased to be able to use the last of them as the topping for this slice.   I decided to try to be a little arty and do white chocolate swirls on top - what do you think?

 Here they are from the interior - just to make you drool a little more...

 And this final shot is because they make me drool a little, ha ha.

I also tried a different recipe for Millionaire's Shortbread, as I'd been disappointed with the texture of the last one.  In that I'd used crushed actual shortbread held together with butter, and upon slicing, I didn't feel that it held together too well at all.

So this recipe required you to make your own shortbread, so I did.  However I couldn't get it in a thin enough layer to fill the size of tin required (28 x 18cm rectangle) so I put it in a 20cm square.  And the darn biscuit base rose as it cooked, leaving me little room for the next layer.

And I'd love your advice on this next bit - my caramel seems to have 'bits' in it.  They are smooth to the taste, and don't detract from the taste or texture much, but I can't think why they've appeared.  They appeared as I was stirring the mix on the stove as it bubbled, and I thought they would stir in and dissolve at some point, but they didn't.  Do you see what I mean?  Any ideas?

Then after a day of cooling, as suggested, I mentioned to Mr Becca that this recipe required just a drizzle of chocolate on top, not a layer.  And how much easier that should make it to cut...  But he wanted a layer of chocolate on top, and suggested a thin one might do.  So I did as he asked, but am now scared to attempt to cut it!  What a wuss, right?!

I'll need to get back to you to let you know how I got on...

Mr Becca's birthday treat, Millionaire's Shortbread

Mr Becca is not mad-keen on dessert, as a menu option.  He prefers savoury food, and will almost invariably have a starter and then not always be hungry for a dessert after his main course.  He likes them super-sweet so doesn't like dark chocolate with anything, because it's too bitter.  Every once in a while I make something that by chance he loves, but that I can't eat because it's too sweet.

I remember once,  long ago, we went out for a meal on my work (I won the meal as a reward for getting a customer satisfaction survery score of 100%) and he wasn't hungry enough for a dessert so we ordered two anyway.  For me.

Anyway, this year for his birthday I didn't want to make a cake ( like last year's butterscotch one, or the butterscotch one of the year before) a) because I wasn't confident I could find yet another butterscotch cake recipe that he'd like and b) because, quite honestly, he simply wouldn't eat a whole cake and thus make it worthwhile.  But then I remembered how much he likes Millionaire's Shortbread, and that I'd never made it successfully.  For those of you who don't know, or who know it by a different name, it's a 3 layer traybake of shortbread on the base, caramel in the middle and chocolate on the top.  I had made this once before, years ago, and not lined the tin.  I maintain that the recipe never told me to, but who knows now?  Suffice it to say, I definitely lined the tray this time.  

Knowing how much he didn't like dark chocolate, I only used milk.  Then for the marble effect, I used some Wilton Candy Melts in white colourburst brights - which have coloured sprinkles throughout them.

I was really pleased with the marbling effect, but felt it needed a little something extra.  So I marbled in a heart, using some red candy melts and matching sparkle.  Now just to hope it dried up exactly like that...

Phew, it did!!! 

I'm very happy to report that he loved it - the way it looked and the fact that I'd made it for him instead of a cake.  And the taste?

Well, it was rich and caramelly and crumbly and chocolatey.  How do you think that would taste?!  It was absolutely delicious!  But for future reference, he felt the chocolate layer was too thick, and I felt the base layer was too crumbly.  So I'll try it again at some stage, but with a different recipe.  Happy Birthday Darling!