Chocolate tiffin is the kind of treat that makes you wonder why you ever turned the oven on. It is a no bake chocolate traybake: crushed gluten free biscuits, glacé cherry halves and raisins, all held together with a soft butter and cocoa mixture, then finished with a swirled chocolate topping.
You crush, you stir, you chill, and then you call it dessert.
If you have never met it before, you may know it by a different name. Depending on where you grew up, this style of treat is also called chocolate fridge cake or chocolate biscuit cake. Same idea, different accent.
The version here is gluten free, built on gluten free biscuits so the whole tray works for a gluten free household. The original recipe notes that nobody will know it is gluten free, and that is exactly the point.
This is not a special diet dessert. It is a chocolate traybake that happens to use gluten free biscuits, and it disappears at the same speed as any other.
It is also worth knowing how tiffin differs from rocky road, because the two get mixed up constantly. Both are no bake chocolate treats. The biggest difference is marshmallows.
Rocky road almost always contains them, while tiffin traditionally leans on dried fruit instead. There is a difference in the base too.
Rocky road often relies on melted chocolate to hold everything together, while this tiffin base is built from butter, golden syrup, brown sugar and cocoa powder. That gives a softer, richer set with a fudgy bite rather than a hard chocolate snap.
The biscuit choice is where you can have a little fun. The recipe calls for 300 g of gluten free biscuits, and the source uses an equal mix of gluten free shortbread and gluten free ginger biscuits. It is a good combination.
The shortbread brings buttery sweetness, while the ginger biscuits bring a warm crunch that stops the tray from tasting flat. Digestive biscuits are the traditional option and work just as well, and you can mix all three if you like.
The rest of the tray is built from 150 g unsalted butter, 75 g golden syrup, 2 tbsp light brown sugar, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 75 g jumbo raisins and 75 g glacé cherry halves.
On top goes 110 g milk chocolate and 110 g dark chocolate, melted separately and marbled together so the surface has light and dark swirls instead of one flat colour.
Because there is no oven involved, this is a friendly recipe to make with children. Crushing biscuits in a sealed bag with a rolling pin is the best job in the kitchen, and there is no hot tray to lift out of the oven.
Keep the melting steps with an adult, since the saucepan and the microwave both get hot. A 20cm square baking tin is all you need, lined with baking paper.
Clothes pegs are a handy trick for holding the paper in place while you fill the tin.
Timing is simple. Prep takes about 15 minutes, then the tray needs at least 2 to 3 hours in the fridge to set, ideally overnight. It makes 16 squares. Based on the source nutrition, each square comes in at roughly 284 kcal, with 32 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein and 17 g fat.
One practical note before you start. The recipe card can be toggled to cups, but the source recommends weighing with scales because they are more accurate. In gluten free baking, a tiny variation can make a big difference, and here the butter and syrup ratio is what keeps the set firm without turning greasy.
Every ingredient in this tiffin has a job, and knowing what each one does makes the swaps much easier to judge. Here is everything that goes into a 20cm square tin.
150 g unsalted butter forms the base of the tiffin. As it sets in the fridge, it binds the crushed biscuits together into a sliceable slab. For a dairy free version, swap it for vegan margarine.
75 g golden syrup adds sweetness and helps keep the texture soft and chewy rather than brittle. In the UK it is easy to find in the baking aisle. Outside the UK, a light treacle or corn syrup is the closest match.
2 tbsp light brown sugar brings a gentle caramel note. Caster sugar can be used instead if that is what you have in the cupboard.
2 tbsp cocoa powder deepens the chocolate flavour in the base. Most cocoa powder is gluten free, but always double check the label.
300 g gluten free biscuits are the structure of the whole tray. The source used an equal mix of gluten free shortbread and gluten free ginger biscuits and especially likes the ginger crunch. Digestive biscuits work just as well, and a mix of all three is a good option. If gluten free is not needed, normal biscuits are fine.
75 g jumbo raisins add chew. Jumbo raisins are the preference, but any raisin or dried fruit works, including currants or dried cranberries.
75 g glacé cherry halves are not essential if you do not like them, but they add a chewy texture and bright pops of colour. In the US you will often find them sold as candied cherries.
110 g milk chocolate and 110 g dark chocolate make the topping. Use one or the other if you prefer, and check that the chocolate is gluten free.
The dairy free version is genuinely simple. Swap the butter for vegan margarine, use dairy free chocolate for the topping, and check that the biscuits fit. Most free from biscuits are already gluten free and dairy free, but the labels are worth reading every time, especially for the cocoa powder and the chocolate, where ingredients vary more than people expect.
You do not need much equipment:
A 20cm square baking tin
Baking paper or parchment paper
Clothes pegs to hold the paper in place while you fill the tin
A large saucepan
A sealed sandwich bag and a rolling pin for crushing the biscuits
Two bowls for melting the chocolate separately
If you are new to gluten free baking, weigh your ingredients rather than scooping them. Small variations matter far more than most people expect.
How to make chocolate tiffin
This is a no cook recipe, so there is no oven temperature to worry about. Everything happens in one saucepan, one bag and one tin, and the whole method takes about 15 minutes before the chilling starts.
Line a 20cm square baking tin with baking paper. Clothes pegs are a useful way to hold the paper in place while you work.
Add the butter, golden syrup, brown sugar and cocoa powder to a large saucepan and place it on a low heat. Heat gently until everything has melted, then remove the pan from the heat.
Crush the biscuits. The easiest way is to seal them in a sandwich bag and bash them with a rolling pin. You want them mostly as crumbs, with some bigger chunks left in for texture.
Add the crushed biscuits, the raisins and the cherry halves to the saucepan and mix everything together well. Pour the mixture into the lined tin and smooth it down into one even layer.
Melt the dark chocolate and the milk chocolate in separate bowls in the microwave, in 10 to 20 second intervals, stirring between each burst.
Pour the chocolate over the tiffin, marbling the two together so the entire surface is covered.
Place the tin in the fridge for at least 2 to 3 hours, or until set, ideally overnight. Then cut into 16 squares or 8 triangles or rectangles.
The texture you are looking for in the crushed biscuits is mostly crumbs with a few bigger pieces. Those larger chunks are what give each square something to bite into, so resist the urge to crush everything to dust.
The marbling is optional in the sense that nobody will complain either way, but pouring the two chocolates separately and swirling them together with a spoon gives that classic light and dark finish. Keep going until the whole surface is covered, with no dry patches of biscuit showing through.
A warm tiffin will not cut cleanly, so give it the full chilling time. At least 2 to 3 hours is the minimum, and overnight is better if you can plan ahead.
Once it is set, cut it into 16 squares, or 8 larger triangles or rectangles if you are feeding a crowd, and return whatever is left to the fridge.
Storing and Freezing
Keep the finished squares in the fridge in a tub, where they keep for about a week. The fridge is the right home for them because the butter and the chocolate soften quickly at room temperature, and a cool tiffin holds its shape much better when you pick it up.
They freeze well too. Layer them between sheets of baking paper so they do not stick together, then defrost one at a time whenever a chocolate craving hits. That way you can keep a stash without committing to a whole tray at once.
The original post describes the tiffin as forgiving. It notes that leftover pieces found at the back of the fridge after a few weeks were still perfectly edible, which tells you how well this kind of traybake holds up.
Even so, if you want it at its best, eat it within the week and keep it covered so it does not pick up other flavours from the fridge.
More gluten free sweet treats
If you enjoy this kind of simple gluten free baking, there is plenty more to try. Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies are a good next step when you want something you can bake in batches, and Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake is the one to make when you want a showpiece dessert for a celebration.
The original post also points readers to the author’s debut cookbook, Delicious Gluten Free Meals, which contains more than 100 gluten free recipes covering breakfast, lunch, dinners, desserts and sides.
FAQs
What is chocolate tiffin?
Chocolate tiffin is a no-bake dessert bar made from crushed cookies, dried fruit, and a buttery cocoa mixture, topped with melted chocolate and chilled until firm. It is sometimes called chocolate fridge cake and belongs to the same family as chocolate biscuit cake. This easy gluten-free version uses shortbread and ginger cookies and makes 16 squares.
What is the difference between chocolate tiffin and rocky road?
Both are no-bake chocolate treats, but rocky road usually contains marshmallows, while tiffin is built on a firm crushed-cookie base and often includes nuts and dried fruit. Tiffin is pressed into a slab, topped with glossy chocolate, and cut into neat squares. Rocky road tends to be softer and chunkier.
Can you make chocolate tiffin gluten-free?
Yes, use certified gluten-free cookies instead of regular ones. This recipe calls for 300g of gluten-free cookies, ideally an equal mix of shortbread and ginger cookies, crushed mostly to crumbs with a few larger chunks. Double-check that your cocoa powder and chocolate are gluten-free as well.
How long does chocolate tiffin keep in the fridge?
Chocolate tiffin keeps for about a week in the fridge when stored in an airtight tub. It also freezes well; slice it first and separate the squares with parchment paper so you can defrost one at a time. Chill the tiffin for at least 2 to 3 hours, ideally overnight, before cutting for clean slices.
Chocolate Tiffin Chocolate tiffin is the kind of treat that makes you wonder why you ever turned the oven on. It is a no bake chocolate traybake: crushed gluten free biscuits, glacé cherry halves and raisins, all held together with a soft butter and cocoa mixture, then finished with a swirled chocolate topping.
Total Time:15 minutes
Yield:16 squares 1x
Ingredients
Scale
150 g unsalted butter 75 g golden syrup 2 tbsp light brown sugar 2 tbsp cocoa powder 300 g gluten free biscuits, (I used an equal mix of GF shortbread and GF ginger biscuits) 75 g jumbo raisins 75 g glace cherry halves 110 g milk chocolate 110 g dark chocolate
Instructions
1-Add the butter, golden syrup, brown sugar: Add the butter, golden syrup, brown sugar and cocoa powder to a large saucepan and place on a low heat. Heat gently until melted, then remove from the heat. 2-Crush the biscuits – I do this: Crush the biscuits – I do this by placing them in a sealed sandwich bag and bashing them with a rolling pin! You want them mostly as crumbs, but with some bigger chunks. 3-Add the crushed biscuits, raisins and cherry: Add the crushed biscuits, raisins and cherry halves to the saucepan and mix together well. Pour into the lined baking tin and smooth down into one layer. 4-Melt the dark chocolate milk chocolate (in: Melt the dark chocolate milk chocolate (in separate bowls) in the microwave in 10-20 second intervals. Pour the chocolate over the tiffin, marbling the two together to cover the entire tiffin. 5-Place in the fridge for at least: Place in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours or until set (ideally overnight) before cutting into 16 squares or 8 triangles/rectangles.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.
