Friday Favourites - Chocolate Pudding Ice-Cream Bars, our Christmas Tradition

10 minutes, $10, and 5 steps! Doesn't that sound like appealing preparation for a dessert?

These cold Chocolate Pudding Ice-Cream Bars are our Christmas tradition. This 'recipe' is what my husbands family always makes at Christmas, and have done for 6 years now! It's also adaptable according to your families favourite tastes. We usually use Crunchies as our chocolate in the recipe, but you can use ANY chocolate you like. We've had success with: Maltesers, Violet Crumble, Peppermint Crisp, finely chopped Cherry Ripe. Pretty much any chocolate you can smash into lots of pieces!

I tend to use just a fun-bag of chocolates, and get them on special, as I find that's the cheapest way to buy the chocolate. I think it's relatively cheap, and serves the 15 of us easily with a piece (or two) each. It usually complements another dessert, as we all know I have trouble sticking to one dessert! I'd say it costs around $10 to make, especially if you get the ingredients on special.

I made this dessert last week in preparation for hosting my husbands family for Christmas in a couple of weeks, and it seriously takes about 10 minutes, TOPS, to make. The Kitchen Aid did a BRILLIANT job with the cream this year - I swear, it increased the volume of the ice-cream filling by about 50% to every other year!

Chocolate Pudding Ice-Cream Bars
Ingredients
2 x 200g packet malt biscuits
240g chocolate bars, refrigerated (I tend to use Crunchies)
400g can sweetened condensed milk
600ml thickened cream

Method
1. Line a large lamington tin with non-stick baking paper. Layer biscuits over base, cutting to fit, if necessary, so base is completely covered.
2. Wrap chocolates (still in wrappers!) in a clean tea-towel, and smash with a rolling pin, until in small pieces.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat condensed milk and cream in a large bowl until thick and pale. Stir through chocolate.
4. Spread cream mixture over biscuits. Top with another layer of biscuits. Cover well with glad-wrap and foil, and freeze overnight.
5. Cut into squares to serve, dust with drinking chocolate.

This year I'm going to drizzle with ice-magic!