Indulge in a sweet and easy-to-make treat with our Mars Bar Tray Bake recipe with Rice Krispies! With 5 ingredients, this no-bake dessert is perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth cravings, making for bake sales or bringing to a party, each no bake slice is guaranteed to please and super easy to make.
Make a mouth-watering no-bake dessert with our Mars Bar squares. This original recipe is a classic British favourite. You can create nostalgia in the kitchen and take yourself back to childhood or introduce your own children to this delicious and easy traybake.
It’s a type of Mars Bar cake that is made by melting Mars Bar chocolate bars and unsalted butter together with golden syrup and mixing them with Rice Krispies cereal to create a chewy and crunchy base. The melted chocolate tray bake is then topped with more creamy, melted milk chocolate, adding an extra layer of sweetness to this indulgent dessert.
We have made ours even more special by adding little pieces of chopped Mars Bars throughout, guaranteeing you small bursts of caramel-nougat taste with every bite.
With only 5 ingredients needed, this recipe for Mars Bar Slices is perfect for any occasion, whether it’s a party, picnic, or simply an after-dinner treat. And the best part? It’s quick and easy to make, requiring no baking time. You simply need to chill the tray bake until set.
Now, if you love Mars Bars, we urge you to go and try these amazing Mars Bar Cookies too!
Why You’ll Love This Mars Bar Tray Bake Recipe
- Quick and Easy – The preparation time for this recipe is less than 15 minutes. You will just need to be patient and allow it to set fully before enjoying.
- A Kitchen Project For Kids – This is a great recipe to get your own kids involved in the kitchen, you will just need to help them out with the melting parts.
- No-Bake – There is no oven involved when making this recipe.
Equipment You’ll Need For Homemade Mars Bar Slices
There is only minimal equipment needed to make this Mars Bar traybake:
- Large Saucepan/Heatproof Bowl – Used to melt the ingredients on the stovetop or you can also melt the ingredients in a microwave if you’d prefer. To do this, you will need a microwave-safe bowl.
- Spatula/Wooden Spoon – Used to stir, mix and pack down the mixture into a tin.
- 20x20cm (8×8 inch) Square Tin – We use a square pan to shape and set our Mars Bar Tray Bake.
- Non Stick Parchment Paper – We recommend lining the tin with this leaving a little overhang to help lift the tray bake out of the tin when ready.
- Small Serrated Knife – This will help you to chop the Mars bars ready to add to the other ingredients.
Ingredients
- Mars Bars – One of the key ingredients in this recipe that gives our sweet slices their name. Mars Bars are made by the company Mars in the UK and consist of a caramel-topped soft nougat surrounded in a layer of milk chocolate. If you cannot find Mars Bars, their equivalent in the USA are Milky Way Bars (whose name is associated with a different type of chocolate bar in the UK).
- Butter – Use unsalted butter in this recipe.
- Golden Syrup – This sweet syrup is the glue holding everything together. If you cannot find golden syrup, you could try honey instead. Although it may have a slightly less sticky result. For best results, you can make your own golden syrup substitute.
- Rice Krispies Cereal – This is a plain puffed rice cereal that can be found in almost all supermarkets. This type of cereal is also known as rice bubbles, depending on where you are in the world.
- Milk Chocolate – We use this to top our Mars Bar Tray Bake with a delicious extra layer of chocolate.
- White Chocolate (optional) – We use this to decorate our top with a chocolatey drizzle. You can choose to leave this out if you wish or use Dark Chocolate in its place.
- Freeze Dried Raspberry Pieces (optional) – We sprinkle these intense raspberry-flavoured chunks on top of the milk chocolate layer to add a little colour and decoration. If you don’t wish to use them, you can leave them out of the recipe.
Additions
What to add in extra ingredients? You certainly can, but the slices may not hold together so well if you add too much so take it easy with any additions you make.
- Marshmallows – Use mini marshmallows if you can, or slice larger marshmallows into small pieces before adding.
- Raisins – These make a great fruity addition to the crispy cakes.
- Dried Fruit – As well as using raisins, other dried fruit can be added but keep the pieces small.
- Other Chocolate Bars – You can certainly try using other favourite chocolate bars in place of Mars Bars. Feel free to experiment.
- Biscuits – Little chunks of biscuits can be added. You could try Digestives. Just be sure to keep the pieces small.
Step-By-Step How To Make Mars Bar Tray Bake
Step 1: Preparation
- Roughly chop 5 Mars Bars and place them in a medium-sized saucepan or microwave-safe bowl.
- Chop the butter into small chunks and add it to the pan.
- Pour in the golden syrup.
Step 2: Melting the Ingredients
- Gently heat the pan over a low heat, stirring continuously. If using a microwave, melt the ingredients in 10-second increments, stirring every 10 seconds until melted.
Step 3: Mixing
- Chop the remaining Mars Bars into small pieces and mix them with Rice Krispies in a large bowl.
- Pour the melted ingredients into the bowl and stir to completely cover the Rice Krispies.
Step 4: Assembling
- Line a 20x20cm (8×8 inch) baking tin with non-stick baking paper, leaving some overhang.
- Transfer the mixture to the tin and pack it down firmly and evenly using a spoon or spatula.
Step 5: Chocolate Topping
- Melt the milk chocolate in a pan over low heat or in the microwave.
- Pour the melted milk chocolate over the Mars Bar tray bake and spread it evenly with a spoon or spatula.
- Melt the white chocolate in the same way and drizzle it over the top.
Step 6: Finishing Touches
- Sprinkle freeze-dried raspberries evenly over the top.
- Cover the Mars Bar slices and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until set.
Step 7: Serving
- Remove from the fridge and lift the Mars Bar tray bake from the tin using the overhanging paper.
- Place the tray bake on a chopping board and slice it into desired portions using a sharp knife.
- Serve or store the slices in an airtight container.
FAQ
We recommend allowing it to set completely and use a very sharp knife to slice the tray bake up. You can also add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to the melted chocolate before pouring it on. This method helps prevent it from becoming too solid and cracking easily.
Mars bars are made by the British confectionary company Mars. They consist of a soft nougat which is topped with a caramel layer and surrounded in milk chocolate.
Yes, this recipe freezes well. You can freeze them for up to a month.
Pro Tips and Guidance
- Pack the mixture down well in the tin – This helps to remove any air pockets and compact your ingredients so that the finished slices don’t crumble and fall apart.
- Keep the added Mars Bar pieces small – Don’t add huge chunks as you will find they stop the bars from holding together.
- You can use the microwave to melt the ingredients – If you’d rather use a microwave than a stove top, you can do so. Melt the ingredients together in a microwave proof bowl in short blasts of 10 seconds and stir frequently until everything has fully melted. You can also use a Thermomix to melt everything if you prefer.
- Allow the Mars Bar Tray Bake to set fully – If you try to slice it up too soon, you may find the slices will fall apart.
- Use a really sharp knife – When slicing the Mars Bar tray bake into portions, as it helps to prevent the chocolate layer on the top from cracking. You can also try dipping the knife in hot water between cutting each slice.
Storage
- Store – Mars Bars Slices should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. If the weather is particularly hot, you can store them in the fridge to prevent them melting.
- Freeze – You can also freeze the slices. Individually wrap them and store them in an airtight container for up to a month.
Check Out These Recipes!
This is a huge crowd pleaser and great as a party recipe. Filled with Marshmallow and Smarties as well as the caramel flavour of Biscoff.
If you can’t get enough of those Mars Bar flavours, you need to try these chunky Mars Bar cookies next!
Easy Mars Bar Tray Bake Squares With Rice Krispies
Ingredients
- 8 Mars Bars, 39.4g Each in Size (Multipack Size)
- 100 g Unsalted Butter
- 40 g Golden Syrup
- 130 g Rice Krispies Cereal
- 200 g Milk Chocolate
- 50 g White Chocolate, Optional
- 5 g Freeze-Dried Raspberries, Optional
Instructions
- Begin by roughly chopping 5 Mars Bars and placing them in a medium-sized saucepan or microwave-safe bowl.
- Next, chop the butter into small chunks and add it to the pan.
- Pour in the golden syrup, and gently heat the mixture over a low heat while stirring continuously. Alternatively, if you prefer to use a microwave, you can melt the ingredients by heating them in 10-second increments and stirring after each interval until everything has melted. Note that the Mars Bars may not melt fully at this point.
- Chop the remaining Mars Bars into small pieces no larger than a raisin and mix them together with the Rice Krispies in a large bowl.
- Pour the melted ingredients into the bowl and stir everything together until the Rice Krispies are fully coated.
- Line a 20x20cm (8x8inch) baking tin with non-stick baking paper, leaving some overhang to help you lift it out later.
- Transfer the mixture to the tin and pack it down firmly and evenly using a spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Melt the milk chocolate in a pan over low heat or in the microwave. Once melted, pour it evenly over the top of the Mars Bar tray bake and spread it out with a spoon or spatula.
- Melt the white chocolate in the same way and drizzle it over the top of the milk chocolate. Sprinkle the freeze-dried raspberries evenly over the top.
- Cover the Mars Bar Slices and place them in the fridge for at least 1 hour until everything has set completely.
- Once the mixture has set, remove the Mars Bar Tray Bake from the tin by lifting it out using the overhanging paper. Place the tray bake on a chopping board and slice it into portions using a sharp knife. You can determine the size of the portions based on your preference.
- Finally, you can either serve the slices immediately or store them in an airtight container.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Ensure a firm and solid mixture by packing it down thoroughly in the tin. This step eliminates any air pockets and ensures that the final product remains intact and doesn’t crumble or fall apart.
- Be mindful of the size of the Mars Bar pieces you add. Using smaller pieces ensures that the bars hold together, while larger chunks may cause the mixture to break apart.
- If you prefer to use a microwave instead of a stovetop, you can melt the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. Use short 10-second bursts, stirring regularly until everything has fully melted. Alternatively, you can use a Thermomix to melt the ingredients.
- Allow ample time for the Mars Bar Tray Bake to set completely. Cutting it too soon could result in the slices falling apart.
- For a clean slice, use a sharp knife while cutting the tray bake into portions. You can also dip the knife in hot water between slices to prevent the chocolate layer on top from cracking.
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