a nostalgic, no-bake treat

sprinkles optional but highly recommended

What I’m reading: The Joy of Snacks, by Laura Goodman. I’m revisiting this book since finding it in my old room in Dublin, and it’s still as entertaining as ever. It features short essays about snacks (duh), plus plenty of lists and recipes. When a book has sections called things like “When I was a young mozzarella”, “Have you considered a condiment?” and “The staggering potential of nachos”, you just know it’s going to be good.

What I’m listening to: Sharon Horgan on How to Fail. I will faithfully watch/listen to everything Sharon Horgan produces, and this conversation was a delight.

What I’m eating: a brilliant bagel from Papo’s, London. We arrived too late for smoked salmon (sad) and everything bagels (sadder), but I had cold cuts on a sesame bagel and it really hit the spot (below).

This recipe is probably one that you will be familiar with, if you attended children’s birthday parties in the 90s and early 2000s. I can picture them on the table alongside Colin the Caterpillar, perhaps a Viennetta, tophats (I think this might be fairly niche, but they’re individual marshmallows set in a pool of chocolate in a cupcake case, with a Smartie on top - delicious), chocolate biscuit cake, cocktail sausages, etc. They’re SO easy to make, and are guaranteed to bring a little glimmer of joy to someone’s day (as well as your own).

I’ve attempted to add a touch of class to these by browning the butter (of course), and adding some salt - but then I’ve completely reversed this effort by topping them with rainbow sprinkles. While they are infinitely more delicious with brown butter and Maldon salt, there’s no denying the fact that these are, ultimately, a (nostalgic) children’s treat. I am often prone to over-complicating recipes (among other things), but sometimes it’s fun to make something foolproof and joyful - this recipe is a reminder to not always take yourself so seriously.

(On taking oneself seriously, there is a VERY serious brownie recipe test coming next week, so stay tuned.)

Sometimes, I really look forward to tackling a big baking challenge. A good example is the Baked Alaska that I’ve made several times recently, which involves:

• Day 1: make three ice-cream bases, Genoese sponge, raspberry jam

• Day 2: churn all three ice-cream bases (over the course of ~8 hours, to let each layer set before assembling with the next layer), assemble

• Day 3: unmould, make Swiss meringue, cover Baked Alaska, brûlée, serve

Another example is croissants, which are often made over the course of three days, starting with making and proving the dough, followed by laminating and shaping, and finally, second prove and bake.

There is a huge amount of satisfaction to be derived from big projects like these, but there is also a lot to be said for a quick, foolproof recipe that doesn’t even require you to turn the oven on - and these marshmallow squares are seriously hard to mess up. That said, if you are making these with children, be very careful during the browning butter/mixing stage - the butter (and therefore the pan and the marshmallows) become dangerously hot.

I think that these are perfect birthday baking material, particularly if you have to transport them anywhere. Something about them (I think it’s the neat square shape) is crying out to be wrapped up in a container and brought to a birthday party or work - and I am really looking forward to having a Tupperware of these in my cupboard for snacking on for the rest of the week.

P.S. I’ve just realised where the inspiration for this recipe came from: last summer, I was at a music festival in Ireland (All Together Now), and when I was packing up my bag to drive down to Curraghmore House, I threw in a pack of these as a last-minute emergency snack option (below) - and boy was I glad I did. Maybe this year, I’ll make my own, to bring a little nostalgia to the inevitable hell that is the morning of Day 3 of a music festival.

recipe: (brown butter) marshmallow Rice Krispie squares