How Prue Leith Transforms Leftover Candy Into A Nostalgic Treat

The new book by British cooking legend Prue Leith, "Life's Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom," promises to provide "foolproof recipes, shortcuts and hacks." She delivers on that promise with a simple method for transforming leftover candy into a popular British treat that will please young and old alike. In fact, her Malteser Rocky Road recipe is based on a sweet she used to whip up for herself as a child. It's infinitely customizable as many of the ingredients mentioned are merely suggestions, allowing you to get creative with whatever you have on hand.

These bars turn out kind of like a cross between chocolate fudge and malted chocolate squares. Maltesers are the British equivalent of American Whoppers, which are balls of malted milk coated in chocolate, and in this recipe, they add both flavor and texture. Leith also adds mini marshmallows, crushed graham crackers, broken-up Kit Kats, candied Easter eggs, and Dime (aka Daim), which is a Swedish chocolate bar similar to Heath with a nutty, buttery, brittle center.

Making these is as easy as melting chocolate with butter, golden syrup (aka light treacle), and salt, then combining it with the add-ins. Leith packs the mix into a small parchment-lined brownie pan (which gives this rocky road its thickness), chills it in the fridge until set, then cuts it up into chunky bars. You could also use a larger pan and spread the mixture out into a thinner layer, then break it up into bark-like pieces.

If you're not familiar with golden syrup, it's a sweetener popular throughout the U.K. The inverted sugar product is somewhat similar to corn syrup, which can also be used as its substitute. Other liquid sweeteners you might opt for instead include maple syrup, brown rice syrup, molasses, or even sweetened condensed milk for extra creaminess.

For more ways to switch things up, Prue Leith recommends optional ingredients you could fold in such as chopped nuts (try almonds, peanuts, pistachios, or cashews), honeycomb, raisins, or dried cherries, and her book notes that you can use "chocolates that have sat around too long." It's a great way to use up leftover Halloween candy, or if you've noticed any white coating on chocolate bars, that's called chocolate bloom and it's perfectly safe to eat, so you can throw those in too.

You can give your bars some extra crunch and a salty twist with crushed potato chips or pretzels, or, top the confection with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt before cooling. Switch up the flavors by melting in leftover white chocolate, dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips, cocoa nibs, or even chocolate-covered espresso beans.