If you’re a baker who likes exact measurements and precise instructions this recipe is not for you – sorry. It’s a “chuck-it-in-and-see-what-happens” recipe or “chuck-it-in-and-eat-what-happens”.

Makes: 16 squares

Time: 15 – 20 min to prepare the shortbread then 35 – 40 min to bake it. Around 25 min to mix all the other bits and to melt the chocolate then tip the mixture onto the cooled base.

Need: A square 20cm/8” tin, ideally with a removable bottom

Level: Wonderfully easy

Shortbread ingredients

225g plain flour
165g butter
85g caster sugar- white or golden

Method

1. Preheat oven to Fan 150C. Grease and line the base of the tin with baking parchment and dust lightly with flour.

2. Place flour in a large bowl then rub in the butter. Stir in the sugar. Bring it all together into a loose dough with minimum working.

3. Press the dough into the tin and level it using floured hands and/or a plastic dough scraper. Prick holes with a fork a few times. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, until light golden. Set aside to cool.

“Random” Rocky Road ingredients

About 300g – 400g dark or milk chocolate
75g – 125g butter
About 100ml golden syrup
Some chopped marshmallows (or mini marshmallows)
Some broken biscuits (smallish pieces)
Some dried fruit – raisins, sultans, apricots etc
Some glace cherries
Anything else you find in the cupboard and fancy chucking in (desiccated coconut, mixed dried peel, stem ginger, dates)
Some nuts would be really good too – I didn’t use any because I often take my bakes on Sunday morning for after our church meeting and I don’t want any “allergy issues”.

Method

4. Melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup gently using a bain marie.

5. Put everything else in a large bowl and mix it all together.

6. Tip on the melted chocolate and stir it all until there are no dry bits.

7. Tip it onto the shortbread base and level it. (I added more pieces of cut marshmallow on top, but it doesn’t look all that good. If I’d thought ahead I would have bought some mini-marshmallows, so maybe try that instead.)

8. Cool in the fridge or garage or anywhere coolish. Cut and eat or give away.

For many more (normal) recipes click this link. Click here for my home page.

Here are a few that might be of interest:

Coffee and Almond Crunch Cake