Mars Bar Chocolate Rice Squares

Name: Mars Bar Chocolate Rice Squares
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 6 min
Total time: 91 min
Yield: 16 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 4 standard Mars Bars, roughly chopped; check the weight on the wrappers; 75 g unsalted butter; 100 g chocolate rice cereal; 150 g milk chocolate, broken into pieces; Tiny pinch of flaky sea salt, optional

Chocolate rice cereal bound with buttery melted Mars Bars and topped with milk chocolate. Chill the slab until firm, then let it stand briefly before cutting into sixteen chewy, crunchy squares.

91 mins Serves 16On the Hob

Ingredients ↓Method ↓

Ingredients

For the cereal base

4 standard Mars Bars, roughly chopped; check the weight on the wrappers
75 g unsalted butter
100 g chocolate rice cereal

For the topping

150 g milk chocolate, broken into pieces
Tiny pinch of flaky sea salt, optional

Method

15 mins prep6 mins cook91 mins total

Line a 20 cm square tin with baking paper, taking it up the sides and leaving enough overhang to lift out the slab. Put the cereal in a large heatproof mixing bowl.
Put the chopped Mars Bars and butter in a heavy saucepan over the lowest heat. Stir frequently for 4–6 minutes, until the butter has melted and the bars have mostly blended into it. Avoid boiling the mixture; briefly take the pan off the heat if necessary.
Pour the warm mixture over the cereal. Fold together gently, reaching the bottom of the bowl, until the grains are coated.
Scrape straight into the lined tin. Use the back of a spoon or a piece of baking paper to press the mixture into a compact, level layer, including the corners.
Melt the milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, keeping the bowl clear of the water. Alternatively, microwave in short bursts and stir well between each one. Stop heating as soon as it stirs smooth.
Spread the melted chocolate over the packed cereal, reaching all the edges. Sprinkle with the optional tiny pinch of flaky salt.
Chill for about 1 hour, or until the base and topping are firm. Lift onto a board using the paper, leave for 10 minutes at room temperature, then slice into 16 squares with a sharp knife.

Notes

Yield and timing: Makes 16 small squares in a 20 cm square tin. Allow 15 minutes for preparation and assembly, around 6 minutes for gentle melting and at least 1 hour to chill. Give the chilled slab another 10 minutes at room temperature before cutting; a warm kitchen may mean it needs longer to set.

Bar size: Use four standard individual bars, not four snack-size or fun-size pieces. Pack sizes differ, so check the wrappers before starting rather than assuming every bar is the same weight.

Melting and packing: Caramel can catch if heated hard. Lift the pan off the heat if the mixture starts bubbling vigorously, and keep stirring. Press the coated cereal right into the tin corners so the finished squares hold together.

Less-sweet topping: Replace the milk chocolate with the same weight of dark chocolate if preferred. Keep the finished squares covered in the fridge and take out only what you plan to serve, as the topping softens in warmth.

About this recipe

This no-oven tray treat combines crunchy chocolate rice cereal with a chewy caramel-and-nougat mixture. A thin milk-chocolate topping sets over the base, ready to cut into small squares for sharing.

Keep the heat gentle when melting the bars and pack the cereal firmly into the tin. After chilling, a short spell out of the fridge makes the slab easier to slice without cracking the chocolate. Check the weight of the chocolate bars before starting, as pack sizes vary. The cereal should be coated evenly rather than crushed, and firm pressing helps the finished squares hold together when lifted from the lined tin.