Chocolate Caramel Fingers

I'm not very good at doing nothing. After a weekend of being unwell and mostly neglecting my children, I wanted to make them a treat on the Monday. Still not feeling great, I didn't really want to bake. I got this idea, in a round about way, from a fellow judge from the Free From Food Awards. She'd tried a chocolate bar last week that had puffed amaranth in and said it tasted like a Blue Riband. 

I tried puffing some, slightly out of date, amaranth I had in the cupboard, in the same way I would pop corn. That didn't work. Then I found a box of gluten free crispbreads in the  snack box and thought of making chocolate wafer bars.

Sort of followed this for a toffee recipe but the 'cream' you use may affect the hardness at this temperature. I used about half this quantity, but it made far too much so I used the rest for making pecan toffees. 

Makes 10

200g Dairy & Soya Free Chocolate

10 Gluten Free Crispbreads (I used Amisa, but Le Pain de Fleurs have a large variety & would work too)

1/2 cup (100g) Dairy & Soya Free Margarine

1 cup (plus a bit more) (160g) Soft Light Brown Sugar

1/2 cup (150g) Golden Syrup

1 cup (225mls) Dairy & Soya Free Cream (or milk substitute)

1/2 tsp Vanilla Paste or extract

Make the toffee according to the above instructions.

Line a tin with foil and grease well.

Lay out wafers in the base of the tin.

Pour over toffee to form a thin layer, spread evenly to edges if necessary.

When set, but still slightly warm, cut crispbreads along centre to form two rows. Stack one on top of the other to form a double layer. 

Put another layer of greased foil over the top and press down with another tin to flatten and stick the layers together.

Cut into fingers with a sharp knife.

Coat each one in melted chocolate and leave to set on greaseproof paper.

Decorate by marking with a fork. 

Or drizzle with melted white dairy & soya free chocolate.

Boys were home in time to help with the decorating,
just didn't like waiting for chocolate to set!

Strawberry and White Chocolate Cookies

Divide and conquer seemed to be the only way to get through this afternoon. Boys seemed to be on a mission to see who could wind each other up the most today. On reflection, it may not have been the best idea to leave Mini Monster and Daddy at home with freshly baked cookies (both have the biscuit gene) cooling on a tray…

This made 13 (bakers dozen means there is always one for me to 'test' in each batch), we came home to a measly 4! They had been tidied away in a tin to hide the evidence...

100g Dairy and Soya Free Spread (Pure/Vitalite etc)

60g Caster Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Paste (or extract)

A FewDrops Of Rose Water (optional) - strong taste, not everyone likes it…

1tbsp Honey (or syrup)

1/2 -1 tbsp milk substitute (depending on flour blend used)

150g Self Raising or Wheat Free Self Raising Flour

2g (about 1/3 of a 7g tube) Freeze Dried Strawberries

White Couverture Powder to decorate

Whisk Spread, Sugar, Honey, Vanilla and Rose Water (if using) until well combined and paler in colour.

Mix in the Flour and Dried Strawberries.

Add a little milk substitute if mix looks too dry.


Use a tablespoon (or cookie scoop) and roll into balls.

Flatten slightly as they don't really spread.

Bake for 12 minutes at 170ºC

Remove from oven and leave to cool for a minute.

Top with about 1/2 tbsp White Couverture Powder.

Spread out with the back of the spoon.

Leave to melt.

Allow time to set before eating.

Enjoy.

Hide them from children and husband so you can eat them yourself...