On Saturday Neil and I took Hannah out for a trip along the coastal path in Bangor and made the best of what little sunshine we had. Hannah loves it down there because she can explore and roam quite freely without any big dogs making her feel nervous.
We love it because it’s a chance to escape from technology for a couple of hours, take in the fresh sea air, and stop off at our favourite local cafes for a proper natter. As the weather was being kind, we were pleased to see there were tables arranged outside, so no worries of having to leave Hannah in the car. What I love about the cafes here is the array of traybakes on offer.
In Northern Ireland, we just love our traybakes! Neil and I particularly love the salted caramel squares from The Court Yard and this unbelievably good fruit cake style traybake in Kook Eatery. For a while now I’ve been wanting to add more traybakes to the blog. It seems almost sacrilegious for a Northern Irish food blog to not have many! To restart my inspiration, I’m beginning with the most famous traybake native to Northern Ireland…Fifteens.
These little rustic slices of delight are very popular at kid’s parties, bake sales, schools and often found in cafes. Called Fifteens because there are 15 of each ingredient, they take just 15 minutes to make and are sliced up into 15 pieces.
They are filled with pink and white marshmallows and glacé cherries, bound together by digestive biscuits and condensed milk, before being rolled in coconut – no baking required and super simple, just what I like! You can leave out the marshmallows if you aren’t a fan of them and just add chocolate chips instead. Maltesers are a popular option too, but for me personally, I prefer the original version for a treat!
Fifteens have a certain air of mystery about them. A lot of people here only learn that they are local to Northern Ireland when they step outside to other parts of the UK and can’t find any available.
There also doesn’t appear to be a lot written about the history of them either. My research (ahem Google) hasn’t offered up any answers. It appears I will have to dig deeper…until then I will keep on enjoying these sweet little treats!
Northern Irish No Bake Traybake – Fifteens Recipe
Ingredients
- 15 digestive biscuits (graham cracker in usa)
- 15 marshmallows (or 30 mini marshmallows)
- 15 glacé cherries
- 150 ml condensed milk (buy one small can as you might need more)
- 15g desiccated coconut
Instructions
- Put the digestive biscuits in a bag and bash with a rolling pin or alternatively place in a blender on a low setting. Place in large mixing bowl and set aside for now.
- Slice each of the marshmallows into 4 ( or 2 – depending on how big you want them to be)
- Slice the glace cherries in 2.
- Place half the marshmallows and cherries into the mixing bowl with the biscuits and pour in 150ml of condensed milk. Give it a good mix and add the rest of the marshmallows and cherries. If the mixture looks like it's on the dry side, add a little more of the milk.
- Cut a large piece of clingfilm (or tinfoil) and put half of the coconut on the clingfilm, then pour the mixture onto it. Put the rest of the coconut on top and roll the clingfilm over to create a sausage shape.
- Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours to harden.
- Once chilled, cut into 15 slices and enjoy!