The mission of SundaySupper has always been to get the family around the dinner table together, so what better way to encourage this than by getting the kids into the kitchen and having the whole family involved in the cooking as well? It is so much fun to do with children of any age, from tots to teenagers.
That’s why I decided to make something easy and suitable for everyone. Chocolate is a perfect choice! I’ve done a lot of dishes with chocolate like chocolate cheesecake, chocolate banoffee, or chocolate pot de creme. However, these are a little complicated for kids. So, I made something more simple, no-baked chocolate bars.
Chocolate has a long and storied history dating back to ancient Mesoamerican civilizations like the Mayans and Aztecs. However, the chocolate bars (or candy bars) we know today are a relatively recent invention, with their origins dating to the 19th century. In 1847, Joseph Fry created the first-ever solid chocolate bar by mixing cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and sugar. This innovation laid the foundation for the modern chocolate slab, which has since evolved into countless variations and flavors.
There are many types of chocolate bars with different flavors, such as white chocolate, dark chocolate with higher cocoa, milk chocolate, unsweetened chocolate (no added sugar), healthy vegan chocolate (dairy-free), peanut butter, coconut, or chocolate chip bars.
Some chocolate slab types are even filled with a variety of ingredients like caramel, nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts), nougat, nutella, fruit (raisins or cherries), coffee, or fruits and nuts.
Chocolate Bar is a long-standing recipe in our family; the go-to when we have stale biscuits in the biscuit tin, or when we are in need of a simple sweet treat. It’s also one of my lovable chocolate desserts in the whole world. And it is gratifyingly easy to make, with enough bashing and mixing to keep children entertained and involved.
It is a no-bake chocolate bar recipe and is quick to do, but children will love making it. Even my 13-year-old brother will happily make this – and if it gets a teenage boy into the kitchen, it will get anyone into the kitchen!
This is how to make healthy chocolate bars:
Chocolate Bar
Ingredients
- 1 lb biscuits gluten-free
- 4 oz butter
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- Handful of raisins
- 6 oz chocolate for melting on top
Instructions
- Grease a shallow rectangular baking tin and put to one side.
- Break the biscuits up by putting in a bag and bashing a few times with a rolling pin (kids love doing this!) but ensure that chunks of biscuit remain, rather than just powder.
- Put the butter, sugar and milk into a large pan and turn on the heat. Stir continuously until all the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Take off the heat. (children can do this with supervision).
- Tip the biscuits, raisins and cocoa powder into the pan and stir until all ingredients are combined.
- Spoon into the tin and spread out. Put in the fridge to chill for 30 mins.
- Melt the chocolate and spread over the top, then return to fridge for a couple of hours for everything to set.
- When chilled, cut into squares and enjoy!
