A sixth birthday is on the horizon, and bringing with it a big party.  There were so many friends to invite, that it just had to be the whole class.  I’m hoping that a local adventure playground can provide the entertainment, and a (hopefully very) little effort with the catering will make it special enough.

A castle cake was chosen by the birthday boy from a library book, and simple papercut embellished invitations have been distributed.  And there has been flicking through magazines and books for inspiration.  

So much of the food I associate with parties is based on a nostalgic view of such occasions, things that were special treats when I was a kid.  Fairy bread, cocktail frankfurts, butterfly cakes, sausage rolls.  I was excited to come across an updated recipe for chocolate crackles in last year’s Donna Hay Kids’ magazine, and had to try it at once.  Although it substitutes the traditional copha and cocoa with butter and chocolate, it still has that unmistakable texture and the contrast between smooth chocolately mass and airy crispness.  Yum …

Chocolate Crackles

(Here I halved the original recipe and filled about 20 small patty pans (the size down from the large muffin cases), and used a mixture of dark and milk chocolate, as opposed to all dark in the recipe, to make it more kid-friendly.  I also changed the method a little in dealing with melting the chocolate.)

  • 50 g dark chocolate
  • 50 g milk chocolate
  • 50 g butter
  • 1/6 cup golden syrup
  • 2 cups rice bubbles

Melt butter and golden syrup in a largish saucepan over a low heat.  When melted (but not boiling) add broken up chocolate and remove from heat.  Allow chocolate to melt into the mixture for a while then mix gently until combined.  Mix in rice bubbles until well coated.  Fill patty pans with teaspoonfuls of the mixture.  Refridgerate for 1 hour, or until set.

(Edited to add image from second batch of this recipe.)

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