Northern Irish "Fifteens"
Elevenses and Afternoon Tea: The Baking Tradition
Fifteen crushed graham crackers, fifteen marshmallows, fifteen neon glacé cherries. You don't need a multi-tiered cake to show hospitality in Ulster; you just need enough condensed milk to bind the glorious, sticky mess together. Roll it tight in cling film, shut the fridge door, and put the kettle on—this ten-minute, zero-heat traybake tastes exactly like a damp, cozy afternoon in County Antrim.
Ingredients
- graham cracker sheets or digestive biscuits15 large
- large marshmallows15 large
- candied cherries15 med
- sweetened condensed milk1/2 cup
- unsweetened desiccated coconut1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Beat the crackers into coarse crumbs.
Place the graham crackers in a heavy-duty plastic bag and aggressively crush them with a rolling pin, leaving a few hazelnut-sized pieces intact for crunch.
- 02
Chop the marshmallows and cherries.
Quarter the marshmallows and halve the cherries. Use kitchen scissors for the marshmallows, dipping the blades into the cracker crumbs between snips so the sticky interiors don't jam up the works.
- 03
Bring it all together with the condensed milk.
Toss the crackers, marshmallows, and cherries in a large bowl. Pour in the condensed milk and stir firmly until the mixture forms a cohesive dough, adding a splash more milk if it feels dry.
- 04
Shape and compress the log.
Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on the counter and scatter the coconut evenly across the surface. Dump the sticky dough onto the coconut bed, shape it into a rough log about two inches thick, and roll it up tightly in the plastic, twisting the ends hard to compress the mixture.
- 05
Chill and slice into fifteen rounds.
Stash the log in the fridge for at least four hours, or ideally overnight. Once it is rock solid, unwrap it and slice it into exactly fifteen pieces.
Notes
Do not use maraschino cherries.
Candied, or glacé, cherries are essential. If you absolutely must use jarred maraschino cherries, blot them aggressively dry with paper towels, or their excess liquid will ruin the binding.
These keep forever.
Because there is no raw egg or highly perishable dairy, these will survive for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge, or up to three months in the freezer.
From Cook Irish-American Food.