Scottish Snacks: The tip-top chocolate Tiffin!

The word 'Tiffin' originates with the British in southern India. During the 18th and 19th centuries, British people who found themselves serving in the hot, humid climates needed to adapt their eating habits to the climate: gone were the days of a large, heavy meal in the middle of the day and in its place a lighter meal or snack was preferred.

But this was no proper lunch! A new name was required to describe this meal; the name that caught on was Tiffin. Coming from the dated word 'tiff', meaning a small sip of one's liquor, and 'tiffing', or the act of taking said sip of liquor, the name stuck around (and probably says something about what those lunches were like!).

Today, in parts of southern India, tiffin still refers to this small lunch, characterized by a variety of small different foods, similar to Mezze or Tapas. Tiffin also refers to the normally round, stackable metal boxes that the lunch is served in.

In Scotland however, Tiffin means something quite different! At some point, the word came to refer to a kind of cake made by crushing cookies together with butter and other sweet things, and very often coated in a layer of chocolate. They are quite popular in bakeries, found in supermarkets and often are thrown together a quick homemade snack to serve at birthday parties.

Many families have their own version of the famous Scottish snacks, and can come with dried fruits, nuts, puffed rice - anything you can imagine! Here's my take on the treat, and feel free to adapt it to your tastes!

Chocolate Tiffins

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Ingredients

• 200g Plain Butter Cookies

• 150g Unsalted Butter

• 2 tbsp White Sugar

• 1 tbsp Honey

• 5 tsp Cocoa

• 100g (1 bar) dark chocolate

• 100g (1 bar) milk chocolate

• (Optional) 100g (1 bar) white chocolate

• Pinch of salt

How to do it

1. In a zip-lock bag (etc.) crush your cookies with a pan, rolling pin, hand or whatever you like! The cookies should be in fragments with some variety in size, don't reduce them to dust!

2. In a non-stick pot, melt all the butter until it is completely liquid. Stir in the sugar, honey, salt and cocoa until thoroughly mixed, then add your crushed cookies. Fold them gently until coated in the butter-cocoa mixture.

3. Press the mixture into a ceramic or glass dish, or a metal pan. The sides of your container should be at least around 2-3 cm tall. If using glass or ceramic, you can use a little butter to grease the surface. If using metal, it is best to cut a sheet of baking paper to the size and shape of your container to avoid sticking. Using a spoon or similar, press the mixture into your container until is is relatively flat.

4. Set up a double boiler - that is a heat-proof container (e.g. a glass bowl) set directly above a pot filled with water, brought to a boil on the stove. Break up your chocolate into smaller pieces (chopping it works well) and put directly into the the double boiler. Stir continuously until the two chocolates have completely melted and are smooth.

5. Using a spoon or silicone spatula, spread the liquid chocolate over the top of the crushed cookies. Ensure that the chocolate forms a full layer, covering the entire top!

6. If using white chocolate, melt the bar in a separate double-boiler, and pour over the melted chocolates covering the cookies until a zig-zag motion to achieve the painted look. You can also pour in several spots and use a tooth pick to distribute and achieve the pattern .

7. Put in the refrigerator until the liquid chocolate has fully set. At least one hour recommended. When ready take out, cut into squares or whatever shape you like and serve!

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