VegetarianNorthern Irish cuisine Desserts

Fifteens

Name: Fifteens
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 15 servings
Cuisine: Northern Irish
Ingredients: 15 pieces digestive biscuits; 15 pieces pink and white marshmallows; 15 pieces glacé cherries; 175 ml sweetened condensed milk; 75 g desiccated coconut; 25 g salted butter; 1 tsp Vanilla extract; 1 pinch Fine sea salt

A classic Northern Irish no-bake traybake made with crushed digestives, marshmallows, and glacé cherries bound in condensed milk and coated in coconut.

🇬🇧United Kingdom· Belfast

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 0 min
Total: 20 min
Servings: 15
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 165 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 8 gathered

Servings

15 pieces digestive biscuits — approx. 225g total
15 pieces pink and white marshmallows — large standard size, vegetarian if preferred
15 pieces glacé cherries — halved or quartered
175 ml sweetened condensed milk — about half a standard tin
75 g desiccated coconut — for rolling and coating
25 g salted butter — melted
1 tsp Vanilla extract — pure extract
1 pinch Fine sea salt — to balance sweetness

Equipment

•Rolling pin
•Kitchen scissors
•Large mixing bowl
•Wooden spoon
•Cling film
•Chef's knife

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 165 kcal
fat: 6 g
carbs: 26 g
fibre: 1 g
protein: 2 g
calories: 165 kcal

Instructions

1
Place the digestive biscuits inside a clean food bag and crush with a rolling pin into rough crumbs.
2
Tip the crushed biscuits into a large mixing bowl, keeping some coarse texture rather than fine dust.
3
Snip each marshmallow into four pieces with clean kitchen scissors and add them to the bowl.
4
Cut each glacé cherry in half and add to the bowl with the biscuit crumbs and marshmallows.
5
Pour in the melted butter, vanilla extract, pinch of salt, and sweetened condensed milk.
6
Mix firmly with a wooden spoon until all dry crumbs are completely coated and clump together.
7
Spread the desiccated coconut evenly over a large sheet of cling film on your work surface.
8
Turn the sticky biscuit mixture out onto the coconut and shape with your hands into a compact sausage.
9
Roll the sausage through the coconut until fully and evenly coated on all sides.
10
Wrap the coconut-covered roll tightly in the cling film, twisting the ends to compress firmly.
11
Chill in the fridge for at least two hours until completely firm.
12
Unwrap the chilled log and slice into fifteen neat rounds using a sharp knife.

Chef's tips

Do not crush the biscuits to a fine powder; coarse pieces provide necessary structure and bite. Use kitchen scissors dipped in warm water to easily snip sticky marshmallows.

Ingredient substitutions

digestive biscuits → gluten-free digestive biscuits or rich tea biscuits
pink and white marshmallows → gelatine-free vegan marshmallows
desiccated coconut → finely crushed digestive biscuits or toasted oatmeal

Storage

Store sliced fifteens in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

Reheating

Serve chilled straight from the fridge or bring to room temperature for ten minutes before eating.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Crushing biscuits into fine dust, making the mixture overly dense and doughy.
•Adding too much condensed milk at once, resulting in a soft log that will not hold its shape.
•Slicing the roll before it has fully chilled and set in the fridge.