Dec 3, 2020

Maltese Christmas Log

This Christmas Log is a staple in pretty much every Maltese family around Christmas season. Putting my own spin on it, this one's a bit fudgier than the traditional log, but I definitely see that as a plus. It resembles chocolate salami in concept, just is far less firm.

This no bake recipe is so simple and quick to make, it's actually crazy. Taking just around 15 minutes to assemble, the rest of the time is spent chilling in the fridge, making it the perfect make-ahead treat. It also travels extremely well, so it's a great giftable treat. It's also extremely customisable. Do you like dried cherries? Add those in. Like a different alcohol in your treats? Change that up.

Ingredients

400gr malted milk biscuits

3 tbsp cocoa powder

75gr chopped nuts (of your choice)

50gr dark chocolate chips

1/4 tspn cinnamon

1/4 tspn nutmeg

1/4 tspn cloves

397gr condensed milk

1/3 cup Irish cream whisky

150gr chocolate (for decorating)

Chocolate stars or holly (for decorating)

Icing sugar (for decorating)

Method

1. Lay down a piece of baking paper on a surface and lay half the biscuits on top. Cover with a second piece of baking paper. With a rolling pin, press down on the biscuits and roll. This will crush the biscuits in irregular shapes, which is what we're after. Repeat this process with the rest of the biscuits. Using a food processor is also an option, however, the biscuit crumbs would be too regular for my personal liking.

2. Place the biscuit crumbs into a large bowl. Add the nuts, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and condensed milk. Stir until combined. The mixture will look slightly dry in some spots at this stage.

3. Start adding the Irish cream whisky slowly. It is unlikely that you will use all of this in the mixture, so do not throw all the whisky in. Add it in fourths, mixing between each addition. When the mixture can hold its shape, stop adding in the whisky.

4. Lay down a piece of plastic wrap on the table. Place the mixture in the centre, and shape into a log using your hands.

5. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap tightly. Refrigerate the log for 4 hours or overnight (ideally).

6. Using a bain-marie, melt your chocolate. Allow to cool slightly.

7. Grab your log out of the fridge and start coating it with the chocolate using a spatula. When covered, grab a fork and gently start making indentations in the chocolate. These can be swirls or circles - this aims to mimic the texture of a log. If you're using chocolate stars or decorations, add them on top of the log at this stage. This ensures they will not fall off.