Biscoff Tiffin is the perfect example of why we love running Scottish Scran.
Working in the kitchen to bring together two of our favourite flavours is one of the things we find most exciting. Experimenting with the recipe, making it perfect for anyone that might try it and then getting to eat it!
Biscoff Tiffin is precisely that, a recipe that mixes a fantastic-tasting biscuit with one of Scotland’s finest traybakes.
The only real question we had to ask ourselves was why it took us this long to mix these two tasty treats and make Biscoff Tiffin!
After all, the spiced caramel taste of the famous wee biscuit made to go with coffee adds to the chocolaty goodness of the simple-to-make Scottish traybake.
And as our Biscoff Tiffin was born, we decided to go crazy and add Biscoff spread to the topping to give it an extra burst of flavour, second to none!
But let’s backtrack slightly from Biscoff Tiffin. After all, it was only when we first moved to Scotland that we discovered traditional Scottish Tiffin was even a thing…
What is Tiffin?
Tiffin itself is a delicious classic Scottish traybake that, rumour has it, originated in Troon in Scotland in the early 1900s.
So, why has this simple recipe lasted for over 120 years?
We think it’s because Tiffin involves no baking, despite its cake-like texture, making it so easy that you can’t help but love this recipe. You can try our original Chocolate Tiffin Recipe here.
Tiffin is traditionally made with crushed biscuits, butter, sugar, and raisins, all topped with a layer of melted chocolate and popped into the fridge to set.
Tiffin has a rich chocolatey taste with bursts of fruit and a lovely biscuity crunch.
It’s such a simple combination it could hardly fail and easily ranks in our top five traybakes alongside our No-Bake Malteser Traybake and our scrumptious Sticky-Toffee Pudding Traybake.
What is Biscoff?
Lotus Biscoff biscuits are a version of a speculoos, a flat biscuit made with specific spices originating in Belgium and the Netherlands.
The Lotus Biscoff biscuit was created in 1932 by a Belgium baker named Jan Boone Sr. Made from only natural ingredients, they were called Lotus, after the flower symbolising purity.
Though most commonly found on the side of a good cup of coffee in many cafes, Lotus Biscoff biscuits can be used in many different baking recipes and are very much the “Flavour of the Month” in Scotland right now. You’ll find Biscoff-inspired backed goods everywhere!
But, not to rest on their biscuity laurels, Lotus introduced a Biscoff spread in 2009. All the flavour of our favourite biscuit but the consistency of smooth peanut butter! It’s so addictively tasty; it’s crassly called ‘crack in a jar’ by the British press!
We are obsessed with Biscoff in all its forms and have made several other recipes using either the biscuits or the spread. Our most popular to date is the scrumptious no-bake Biscoff Cheesecake, as simple as it is tasty. Though we think our Biscoff Tiffin or maybe Biscoff Brownies might prove just as popular!
What is Biscoff Tiffin?
Biscoff Tiffin is a traditional Scottish Tiffin recipe with Biscoff biscuits used in the base instead of digestive-type biscuits and a healthy portion of Biscoff spread combined with the chocolate topping to enhance the flavour.
You get the tastes and textures of the traditional Tiffin recipe with a subtle undercurrent of Biscoff flavour. And there you have it, Biscoff Tiffin!
It’s easy to see why we might try to bring these two fantastic flavours together. Now you need to know how we did it.
Things you’ll need to make Biscoff Tiffin
- 8x8inch cake tin (or 9inch for a thinner slice) – we like this one
- Microwave safe jug
- Ziplock bag and rolling pin for crushing the biscuits
- Baking paper for lining the tin
- Large saucepan
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients for Biscoff Tiffin
Base
- 200g Lotus Biscoff Biscuits (approximately 12 biscuits)
- 175g Digestives (approximately 2 cups)
- 40g (3 tbsp) caster sugar
- 200g (¾ cups + 2 tbsp) Unsalted Butter
- 60g (4 tbsp) Biscoff Spread
- 50g (2.5 tbsp) Golden Syrup
- 40g (5 tbsp) Cocoa
Topping
- 300g (10.5oz) Milk Chocolate
- 40g (3 tbsp approx) Biscoff Spread
Biscuits
While we primarily want the taste of the Biscoff biscuits in our Tiffin, they are also quite a soft biscuit and can dissolve easily, so we’ve added in some of the more traditional Digestives too. You can substitute the Digestives for another biscuit, like Rich Tea Biscuits or Abernethy Biscuits.
For those in North America, Graham Crackers is another option. While it can slightly change the flavour, go with what works for you!
Alternatively, you could just use Biscoff Biscuits too! Just make sure you press the mixture down firmly in the tin, so it holds together.
There are the traditional Biscoff Biscuits and Biscoff Cremes, a sandwich-style biscuit with Biscoff spread in the middle. You could also use a mixture of both of these.
Golden Syrup
If you don’t have Golden Syrup, you could leave it out and add in another tablespoon or two of Biscoff Spread instead. This just helps it all stick together!
What about Fruit?
We opted to leave the fruit out of this one, unlike in our traditional Tiffin recipe, but you can certainly add it if you like! Add 180g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) raisins when adding the biscuits.
How to make Biscoff Tiffin – Step by step method
Grease and line a 20cm/8″ square tin with baking paper.
Crush the Digestive (or alternative) biscuits in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin until they are fine crumbs.
Add the Biscoff Biscuits and crush, leaving some bigger chunks.
Melt the butter, sugar, golden syrup, cocoa, and Biscoff Spread together in a large saucepan on the stovetop.
Once the mixture has melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the biscuit mixture. Stir everything together well so the biscuits are completely coated in the butter mixture.
Transfer the mixture to your prepared tin and press it down into a compact even layer with the back of a spoon.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between. Pour the melted chocolate over the top of the tiffin base, smoothing it out into an even layer.
Melt the Biscoff Spread for the topping in the microwave for 30 seconds, or until it’s runny. Pour over the chocolate in a swirling sort of pattern. Take a skewer and swirl through melted chocolate and Biscoff spread to create a messy swirling design.
Put the tin in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set the topping.
To prevent the chocolate layer on top from cracking when you cut into it, allow the Tiffin to come to room temperature again before slicing. Slice up into 16 squares and enjoy!
FAQS
HOW LONG DOES BISCOFF TIFFIN LAST?
Biscoff Tiffin will keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, but you can also freeze it for up to two months in an airtight box or wrapped in clingfilm.
When you want to enjoy it, thaw the Biscoff Tiffin in the fridge or on the benchtop for several hours beforehand.
HOW DO YOU CUT TIFFIN WITHOUT CRACKING THE CHOCOLATE?
Cutting chocolate-topped slices can be a bit of a mission if you want to avoid chocolate cracking. However, there are a few options!
The Biscoff Spread added to the chocolate layer will already help it to not be too hard. But you can add a small amount of coconut or vegetable oil to the chocolate when you melt it as well before pouring it over the slice. Add around 1 tablespoon.
Before slicing, ensure that the slice fully cools down, ideally leaving it to chill overnight.
Then take it out of the fridge about half an hour before you actually slice it so that it warms back up to room temperature and the knife goes through more easily.
Score gently lines before slicing to guide the knife.
Use a large, flat-edged knife and press straight down through the chocolate layer first, then down through the base.
Turn the whole slice to do one side first and then the other. Once you have it into long strips, it’s easier to cut each small square.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TIFFIN AND ROCKY ROAD?
The simple difference between a traditional Tiffin and Rocky Road is the addition of marshmallows with melted chocolate used to hold the whole mixture.
So many recipes out there claim to be Tiffin, be it Biscoff or just plain, but if they’re using melted chocolate to hold it together, then in our opinion, it’s Rocky Road.
We are not, of course, saying there’s anything wrong with a good Rocky Road! In fact, we’ve made our own which we’ll be sharing soon, featuring, yes, you’ve guessed it, Biscoff.
Biscoff Tiffin - Simple and Delicious
Biscoff Tiffin is a traditional Scottish Tiffin recipe with Biscoff Biscuits used in the base and a healthy portion of Biscoff spread combined with the chocolate topping to enhance the flavour.
So you get the tastes and textures of the traditional Tiffin recipe with a subtle undercurrent of Biscoff flavour.
It's no-bake, easy, and amazingly delicious!
Ingredients
Base
- 200g Lotus Biscoff Biscuits (approximately 12 biscuits)
- 175g Digestives (approximately 11 biscuits or 2 cups)
- 200g (¾ cups + 2 tbsp) Unsalted Butter
- 60g (4 tbsp) Biscoff Spread
- 50g (2.5 tbsp) Golden Syrup
- 40g (5 tbsp) Cocoa
- 40g (3 tbsp) caster sugar
Topping
- 300g (10.5oz) Milk Chocolate
- 40g (3 tbsp approx) Biscoff Spread
Instructions
- Grease and line a 20cm/8" square tin with baking paper.
- Crush the Digestive (or alternative) biscuits in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin until they are fine crumbs.
- Add the Biscoff Biscuits and crush, leaving some bigger chunks.
- Melt the butter, sugar, golden syrup, cocoa, and Biscoff Spread together in a large saucepan on the stovetop.
- Once the mixture has melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the biscuit mixture. Stir everything together well so the biscuits are completely coated in the butter mixture.
- Transfer the mixture to your prepared tin and press it down into a compact even layer with the back of a spoon.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between. Pour the melted chocolate over the top of the tiffin base, smoothing it out into an even layer.
- Melt the Biscoff Spread for the topping in the microwave for 30 seconds, or until it's runny. Pour over the chocolate in a swirling sort of pattern. Take a skewer and swirl through melted chocolate and Biscoff spread to create a messy swirling design.
- Put the tin in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set the topping.
- To prevent the chocolate layer on top from cracking when you cut into it, allow the Tiffin to come to room temperature again before slicing. Slice up into 16 squares and enjoy!
Notes
Biscuits
While we primarily want the taste of the Biscoff biscuits in our Tiffin, they are also quite a soft biscuit and can dissolve easily, so we've added in some of the more traditional Digestives too. You can substitute the Digestives for another biscuit, like Rich Tea Biscuits or Abernethy Biscuits.
For those in North America, Graham Crackers is another option. While it can slightly change the flavour, go with what works for you!
Alternatively, you could just use Biscoff Biscuits too! Just make sure you press the mixture down firmly in the tin, so it holds together.
There are the traditional Biscoff Biscuits and Biscoff Cremes, a sandwich-style biscuit with Biscoff spread in the middle. You could also use a mixture of both of these.
Golden Syrup
If you don't have Golden Syrup, you could leave it out and add in another tablespoon or two of Biscoff Spread instead. This just helps it all stick together!
What about Fruit?
We opted to leave the fruit out of this one, unlike in our traditional Tiffin recipe, but you can certainly add it if you like! Add 180g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) raisins when adding the biscuits.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 353Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 108mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 2gSugar: 20gProtein: 4g
The above values are an estimate only.
If you’re looking for something more traditional, check out our Scottish Tablet recipe or if you’d like more Biscoff-based Scran, then our Biscoff Cheesecake is for you!
We hope you like this fusion of a classic Scottish traybake with one of our favourite flavours! Let us know how you get on with it.
Sonja and Phil x
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I was delighted to find your website! Have shared with Scottish friends who no longer live in Scotland! I lived there myself for 3 1/2 years and my husband was from there. I am planning to make some of our favourites for Christmas!
Thank you
Thanks so much for sharing and letting us know! Hope it all goes well for Christmas!
What is the white ingredient in the pan , and set out in the photographs above next to the syrup butter Biscoff paste etc ?Have I missed something .
Hi Anne-Marie,
You make a very good point! Sorry, we missed the caster sugar from the recipe! The recipe was developed from our other tiffin recipe which has sugar in it. We weren’t sure how sweet people would like it so this may be where the error came from!
We’ve added it now and thank you for pointing it out!
I’ve made this twice now without the addition of caster sugar and it’s totally delicious 😋
many thanks for the recipe, making it today. I add 1tsp of oil per 100g of chocolate when making the topping to prevent it cracking.