Not to be confused with India’s breezy afternoon affair, Scottish chocolate tiffin is a delicious traybake made with raisins (or other fruit), crushed-up biscuits and melted chocolate.
This no-bake sweet treat, born in a Troon bakery in the early 1900s, has been a Scottish sweetheart ever since!
Tiffin is oh-so-simple to make and is a crowd-pleaser with young and old alike. Found in cafes throughout picturesque Scotland, it also takes a prominent spot during Burns Night, bake sales and leisurely afternoon teas.
We are elevating our recipe by skipping the more traditional use of cocoa powder and going all-in with pure milk chocolate.
We’re also adding a hint of nuttiness with salted peanuts and a burst of colour and flavour courtesy of glace cherries, sitting elegantly like tiny ruby gems.
The crowning touch: Replacing digestive biscuits with buttery shortbreads, a subtle nod to its Scottish heritage.
See detailed instructions with a step-by-step guide below.
What’s to love about this recipe
- Just 15 minutes of prep time.
- We use pure chocolate throughout the recipe, instead of cocoa powder.
- Salted peanuts add crunch and balance the sweetness.
- See how to make a beautiful, swirled marble chocolate topping.
- Very customisable fridge cake, swap out the nuts, biscuits and fruit for your favourites.
- This recipe does not use golden syrup, making it globally accessible.
Key Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
**Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full list of ingredients.
The Chocolate
We’re using a fair amount of chocolate slabs for this recipe – 400g of milk chocolate for the biscuit base and another 100g each of milk, white and dark chocolate for the marbled topping.
Absolutely no need to splurge on expensive chocolate! Budget-friendly supermarket chocolate works just fine, like Aldi’s 100g slabs at 40p each. It’s essentially just the carrier for the rest of the tiffin ingredients.
Of course, if you fancy treating yourself to Lindt, go ahead!
Shortbread cookies
A classic tiffin recipe calls for plain digestive biscuits. We’re shaking things up by using buttery shortbreads (shop-bought).
We don’t crush them into fine crumbs either, keeping some chunky bits for extra crunch. So instead of using a plastic bag and a rolling pin, either break the biscuits into small pieces by hand or chop them with a knife.
Alternatively, feel free to use digestives, Graham Crackers, Rich Tea biscuits or any other plain biscuit of your choice.
For a distinctive flavour, experiment with Lotus Biscoff biscuits or try this recipe for Lotus slices, which is very similar to tiffin bars.
The add-ins
Raisons: Can be swapped with sultanas or omitted altogether if they’re not to your liking.
Glace cherries: A secret love for many! They bring juiciness and colour. Feel free to swap them with dried cherries or cranberries if you prefer.
Salted peanuts: Brings balance to the sweetness. Can be swapped with pistachios, cashews, pecans etc.
How to make Chocolate Tiffin: Step-by-step
- Line a 20cm x 20cm (8″ x 8″) square pan with parchment paper. It’s essential to line the baking tin and leave a slight overhang of paper. A big help when it comes to effortlessly removing the tiffin later on.
- Roughly chop the shortbread, glace cherries and salted peanuts. Set aside.
- Break up 400g of milk chocolate into a large mixing bowl, then add the butter.
- Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring after each, until the butter and chocolate are fully melted. Mix them well together.
- Add the chopped shortbreads, cherries, peanuts and raisins to the melted milk chocolate.
- Fold all the ingredients together. No need to be gentle as it takes a bit of elbow grease.
Ensure all the pieces are well-covered in the chocolate. A firm squishing motion with a large, sturdy spoon works wonders.
- Tip the tiffin biscuit mixture into the prepared tin. Using the same large, sturdy spoon, press the mixture down, working it into all the corners.
- Smooth the top of the tiffin with the back of a spoon. For any stubborn large pieces of biscuit sticking up, crush them into the chocolate with the spoon. Set aside.
Adding the marbled chocolate layer
- In three separate bowls, melt 100g each of dark, milk and white chocolate in the microwave. Make sure the chocolate is fully melted and has a smooth, runny consistency.
If you prefer, you can use a bain marie or double boiler on the stove-top to melt the chocolate instead.
- Randomly dollop spoonfuls of each chocolate across the surface of the tiffin.
- Use a fork to swirl the melted chocolate for a marbled effect. You can also use the tip of a palette knife for swirling.
- While the chocolate topping is still warm, dot additional pieces of glace cherries and peanuts across the surface.
- Place the tray in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours to set.
- Once the tiffin is set, lift it from the tray and place it on a chopping board. Use a large, sharp knife to slice the tiffin into squares, bars or triangles.
If you notice the chocolate topping is breaking, dip the knife into a jug with boiling water, wipe it dry and then make the slices.
Enjoy with a cup of tea!
Variations
- Alcohol: You can add two tablespoons of Bailey’s Irish liquor or soak the raisins in whisky for a few hours ahead of using them.
- Dried fruit: Sultanas, golden raisins, dried cherries, dried cranberries, dried apricots, dried prunes, dates.
- Nuts: Pecan nuts, walnuts, macadamia, pistachios, cashews.
- Other add-ins: Fudge, toffee, mint candy cane, Maltesers, Mint Aero balls, Smarties.
- Toppings: Chocolate sprinkles, chocolate shavings, chocolate chips, cookie crumbs, pieces of fudge or toffee.
How to prevent the Tiffin from cracking during slicing
Your chocolate topping won’t necessarily crack when sliced, it depends on the chocolate type and temperature of your kitchen.
First, leave the tiffin outside the fridge to return to room temperature.
If the issue persists, dip your knife in boiling water, dry it and try slicing again.
Alternatively, warm the knife with a kitchen torch.
What’s the difference between Tiffin and Rocky Road?
They’re quite alike, made with similar methods and ingredients. The main difference? Rocky Road usually has mini marshmallows, while Tiffin doesn’t.
Storage
For optimal freshness, store Tiffin in an airtight container for 3-5 days. You can store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Alternatively, freeze it for up to two months in an airtight container or wrapped in clingfilm. When ready to indulge, remove it from the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge or on the counter for several hours.
Chocolate Tiffin
Equipment
- 1 20cm x 20cm (8" x 8") square tin
Ingredients
For the tiffin
- 400 grams milk chocolate
- 100 grams unsalted butter
- 250 grams shortbread biscuits
- 100 grams raisins or sultanas
- 80 grams glace cherries
- 50 grams salted peanuts
For the chocolate swirl topping
- 100 grams milk chocolate
- 100 grams dark chocolate
- 100 grams white chocolate
- glace cherries for decoration about 8 cherries, halved
- peanuts for decoration
Instructions
- Line a 20cm x 20cm (8" x 8") square tray with parchment paper. It's essential to line the tray and leave a slight overhang of paper. A big help when it comes to effortlessly removing the tiffin later on.
- Roughly chop the shortbread, glace cherries and salted peanuts. Set aside.250 grams shortbread biscuits, 80 grams glace cherries, 50 grams salted peanuts
- Break up 400g of milk chocolate into a large mixing bowl, then add the butter.400 grams milk chocolate, 100 grams unsalted butter
- Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring after each, until the butter and chocolate are fully melted. Mix them well together.
- Add the chopped shortbreads, cherries, peanuts and raisins to the melted chocolate.100 grams raisins or sultanas
- Fold all the ingredients together. No need to be gentle as it takes a bit of elbow grease. Ensure all the pieces are well-covered in the chocolate. A firm squishing motion with a large, sturdy spoon works wonders.
- Tip the tiffin mixture into the prepared tin. Using the same large, sturdy spoon, press the mixture down, working it into all the corners.
- Smooth the top of the tiffin with the back of a spoon. For any stubborn large pieces of biscuit sticking up, crush them into the chocolate with the spoon. Set aside.
- In three separate bowls, melt 100g each of dark, milk and white chocolate in the microwave. Make sure the chocolate is fully melted and has a smooth, runny consistency.100 grams milk chocolate, 100 grams dark chocolate, 100 grams white chocolate
- Randomly dollop spoonfuls of each chocolate across the surface of the tiffin.
- Use a fork to swirl the melted chocolate for a marbled effect.
- While the chocolate topping is still warm, dot additional pieces of glace cherries and peanuts across the surface.glace cherries for decoration, peanuts for decoration
- Place the tray in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours to set.
- Once the tiffin is set, lift it from the tray and place it on a chopping board. Use a large, sharp knife to slice the tiffin into squares, bars or triangles.If you notice the chocolate topping is breaking, dip the knife into a jug with boiling water, wipe it dry and then make the slices.
Nutrition
For food safety advice, including guidance on food allergies
Always thought this kind of thing – the marbling – would be really tricky, but your explanation makes it so clear! Thank you, these tiffins are out of this world!
Hey Jim!
I’m so pleased to hear you cracked the marbling (see what I did there?) – it’s so simple to do really! Thanks for the great feedback.
Happy baking!
Maretha.