Mars Bar Squares (Small Batch)

You are going to fall in love with these simple and easy to make Mars Bar Squares. Not only are they no bake, but they take very few ingredients and are delicious! 
I have small batched the recipe to make half the amount of this beautiful retro recipe and childhood favorite.  Melted Mars bars, crisp rice cereal, chocolate chips and butter are really all you need to make these easy delicious bars!
  With their chewy, gooey, yet crispy base and rich semi sweet chocolate topping, these are all round family pleasers!
I am on a mission to try to small size most of my recipes now that there is basically only one of me to cook for.  Being on your own does not mean that you have to relegate yourself to cooking frozen ready-made meals, or boring food. 
 It is quite possible for a person on their own to cook interesting and delicious meals and treats without breaking the bank or producing a lot of waste.  My mother cooked for just herself for over 30 years, with the occasional house guest from time to time.
I was always amazed at the meals she managed to cook for herself. Now, here I am, doing the same thing and I like to think I am doing it in the most delicious way!
 Hang onto your hats as I take the plunge into single-dom in the most delicious way.  Fear not however, as I will always be happy and willing to tell you how to biggie size anything. Most of my recipes can very easily be doubled to feed more.
After all, I am only experimenting with and down-sizing what were already full-sized recipes!
 I have been in my little bungalow for over a week now and not one meal that I have cooked for myself has been boring. Nor have any treats. 
I have been cooking myself, chicken and all sorts and baking up delicious smaller sized bakes aimed to please anyone and everyone!
 That doesn't mean that from time to time I won't be cooking larger. After all, I won't always be on my lonesome. I expect I will have a great deal of company from time to time.
So buckle up and get ready for one heck of a tasty ride!  I hope you're hungry!
 These lush Mars Bar Squares were one of the first things I made this week.  They have long been favorites in my home.  And no small wonder!
They make great use of most people's favorite, the eponymous Mars Bar chocolate bar, with its layers of chocolate, nougat and caramel. I know that in the US, they also contain nuts, so if you are living in America you may want to use Milky Way Bars instead of Mars Bars.
 They are extremely popular candy bars in the UK and come in a variety of sizes.  I love the bite sized ones because I am able to better control my appetite with them!  They are incredibly moreish after all!
If you can melt chocolate, you can make these lovely squares.  Seriously, they are that simple!
 Regular sized Mars Bars are chopped up and melted in a saucepan along with a quantity of butter. It doesn't really matter if you use salted or unsalted. 
Do melt them over medium low heat and stir constantly. That way the mixture won't catch or burn. Using a whisk also helps to amalgamate the butter and the candy.
 You will want to make sure before you begin that the saucepan that you use is large enough to hold all of the crisp rice cereal.
You will also want to make sure you have a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan lined with some baking parchment.
 Once you have melted the bars you need to stir in the crisp rice cereal. Its as easy as that.  Give the mixture a good old stir to make sure all of the cereal is evenly coated with the melted candy.
Spoon this mixture into your prepared loaf tin and that's it for the base. You will need to press the mixture down firmly in the pan. An off-set spatula or the bottom side of a metal measuring cup works very well for this.
 You want to pack the mixture firmly without obliterating it, so don't go overboard. Compact but with the cereal still holding its shape.
Next you need to melt some chocolate chips along with either some butter or a bit of coconut oil. This is very easily done in the microwave oven.
 Just put the two into a microwave safe bowl and heat it on high for a minute to a minute and a half, stirring it every 30 seconds or so until both are almost melted.
You want it to be about 80% melted, bearing in mind that it will continue to melt and heat after you remove it from the oven.  You want the mixture to be glossy and smooth.
 
Let it cool for just a few minutes and then pour the whole lot evenly over the cereal mixture in the pan.  And that's it.  Bob's your Uncle! 
The hardest part of these is waiting for them to set up. You can put them in the refrigerator to speed things up, but bear in mind you will need to bring them back to room temperature before you cut them.  Its just easier and smarter to leave them to sit for a couple hours at room temperature.
 At the end of that time you will have a beautiful slice that is easy to cut into bars or squares. I just lifted them out with the parchment paper and popped them onto a cutting board.
It was very easy then to use a sharp knife to cut them cross-wise into bars.  You should get about 8 bars.  You can then cut the bars crosswise into squares if you like.
 In which case you will get 16 squares. I could easily eat a whole bar, but the Diabetic in me only needs half of one of those.
I am trying to be good.  (Trying being the most important word here.)
 
Oh my but these are incredibly moreishly delicious. Every bite brings you some goo and chew, caramel, chocolate, bits of crispy. Yum, yum, yum!!
My children always loved these and what am I but a big kid myself, especially when it comes to treats like this. If you don't think you can trust yourself, cut them into squares and freeze them. That way you can just take one out as and when you feel like indulging.
Trust me, you WILL want to indulge in these.  They are a fantastically tasty treat!!! If you only indulge in one thing this weekend, let it be these!
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Mars Bar Squares (small batch)

Yield: Makes 8 barsAuthor: Marie RaynerPrep time: 15 Mininactive time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 15 MThis is a small batch recipe for one of my favorite treats. They are rich and crunchy. Incredibly moreish. I made these in a loaf tin. They are quick and easy to make, although you do need about 2 hours for them to set up so that you can cut them. You will need a saucepan large enough to hold the rice crispies.

Ingredients

For the bars:

• 2 ½ Mars Bars (130g)
• ¼ cup of butter (60g)
• Pinch salt
• 1 ¾ cup crisp rice cereal (55g)

For the Topping:

• ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (150g)
• 1 TBS coconut oil (7 g) (or butter)
• Pinch salt

Instructions

1. Butter a medium loaf tin (9 by 4 inches) and line lengthwise with parchment paper, leaving a bit of an overhang. Set aside.
2. Unwrap and cut your Mars bars into pieces. Put into a saucepan, along with the butter and a pinch of salt.
3. Cook, whisking, over medium heat until they have completely melted, and the butter and chocolate bars are completely amalgamated and smooth. Stir in the rice cereal, coating it completely with the mixture.
4. Spoon the cereal mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Press into an even layer with an off-set spatula or some other flat utensil.
5. Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil into a microwave safe bowl. Cook on high for 30 second intervals, stirring until they are almost melted. (About 1 ½ minutes depending on the strength of your microwave.) Stir to combine and completely melt.
6. Pour this mixture over top of the crisp cereal layer, smoothing it out to cover it completely.
7. Leave at room temperature for 2 hours or so until both layers completely set.
8. Cut into bars to serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container, with some wax paper in between.

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