The name may sound confusing but Malteser tray bake is actually a no bake treat that’s incredibly easy to make. With just 7 ingredients and 10 minutes effort, you’ll just need to be patient while it sets in the fridge.

Since I know you love Maltesers (because you’re here), you have to try this caramel Malteser slice and this Malteser rocky road too – also no-bake.

15 pieces of Malteser slice on a silver baking tray, surrounded by Maltesers.

Why you’ll love it

Malteser traybake is rich and so delicious. Filled with milk chocolate, malt biscuits (cookies) and loads of Maltesers this is a very simple treat to make.

  • Very easy to make – no fancy equipment
  • Just 10 minutes effort
  • Rich in chocolate and malty goodness
  • Big thick slices

This addictive and easy traybake is great for a bake sale, birthdays, afternoon tea and parties and because it’s rich, it goes a long way.

I make mine in an 8 inch / 20cm square baking tin which makes for thick slices almost 2 inches tall, but feel free to use a larger tin like a 9 inch or even a swiss roll tin too if you’d like it thinner.

What is a traybake?

What we would call a ‘slice’ in Australia or ‘bars’ in the US, is known as a traybake in the UK. Sometimes baked and often not, a traybake is a flat dessert that is cut into squares then served. This British classic, Malteser traybake is often referred to as a Malteser tiffin or Maltesers slice too.  

Ingredients you’ll need

Just 7 simple ingredients makes this Malteser traybake recipe fantastically easy.

Ingredients for Malteser traybake on a marble worktop.

Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.

  • Maltesers: Maltesers are crunchy chocolate coated malt flavoured candy. In the US, Whoppers would be your alternative.
  • Malt biscuits (cookies): You’ll need a good crunchy biscuit / cookie that’s preferably malt flavoured, though plain flavours will work too. I use Arnotts Malt o Milks. Digestive biscuits, rich tea biscuits or graham crackers would work too.
  • Cocoa: You only need a touch of cocoa and could technically leave it out, but it does intensify the chocolate flavour.
  • Golden syrup: Golden syrup is a thick, amber coloured sugar cane syrup. It has a unique but very light flavour and works perfectly here. It’s available across the world these days, but if you can’t find it, I would suggest rice malt syrup to be the best substitution. Honey would work but would give a very distinct honey flavour. You could probably get away with malt extract syrup too which would play into the Malteser flavour well.
  • Butter: Use unsalted butter so you can control the salt content.
  • Chocolate: While I most often use dark chocolate in my baking and for eating, milk chocolate is the go-to here. This is a fun, sweet nostalgic treat and works best with milk. You could use a combination of half milk, half dark if you’d like it less sweet.
  • Salt: You just need a touch of salt to balance out the sweetness.

How to make Malteser tray bake

This is oh-my-goodness-kinda-simple and the hardest part is waiting for it to set.

A collage of 4 images showing how to make Malteser Traybake.

Detailed instructions in the recipe card below.

  1. Dry ingredients: Use a food processor or blender to blitz your biscuits / cookies to fine crumbs. Add them to a large mixing bowl with your Maltesers.
  2. Wet ingredients: In a medium saucepan over low heat, you’ll melt together everything else (photo 1) – chocolate, butter, golden syrup, cocoa and salt. Once it’s smooth, pour the chocolate mixture over the biscuit crumbs and Maltesers (photo 2) and stir it all together with a stiff spatula or wooden spoon.
  3. Tip into a tin: Tip the chocolate Malteser mixture into a baking tin that’s lined with baking paper and press it out level (photo 3) all over. Don’t worry if it looks a little greasy on top, it just means a little butter has separated but it will set up fine.  
  4. Top it: Add melted chocolate and more Maltesers to the top (photo 4) then place in the fridge for 4-6 hours or overnight to set. Make sure it’s wrapped well in plastic wrap.
  5. Cutting: Once the Malteser traybake is set, you can cut it into small squares and serve. I find it best to leave it out of the fridge for 45 minutes to make it a little easier to cut through. It will crumble in places – that’s normal.

Important tip! Low heat is very important here for the chocolate. If you overheat chocolate, it may seize and/or become dull. For this reason, make sure to heat the chocolate and butter mixture over low heat and stir almost constantly until the chocolate has just melted.

Squares of Maltesers traybake stacked on top of one another showing the side view.

Storage

Malteser tray bake will store well for up to a week in the fridge. Make sure it’s either wrapped well in plastic wrap or in an airtight container. The Maltesers on top will soften over time and, if exposed to air, the malty centre can melt.

Can you freeze Malteser traybake? It can be frozen though the texture of the Maltesers will change on thawing so it’s best eaten fresh.

FAQs

What are Maltesers?

Maltesers are a British, crunchy malt flavoured, cookie-like candy that’s coated in chocolate. They’re sold in many other countries as well, including Australia where they’ve been around all my life. In the US, the substitute would be Whoppers.

What is golden syrup?

Golden syrup is an inverted syrup made from sugar cane. It’s a thick syrup similar in colour to maple syrup and has a caramelly flavour. While it’s readily available in a number of countries including the UK and Australia, in some places it may be tricky to find. I recommend ordering online if you can or you could substitute with rice malt syrup.

Can I use dark chocolate?

If you really want to use dark chocolate, I’d mix it half and half with the milk chocolate. Maybe top it with dark chocolate. This would cut down on the sweetness but it will still be rich.

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Squares of Malteser traybake on a baking tray.

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Squares of Malteser traybake on a baking tray, with a small bowl of Maltesers.
4.9 from 16 ratings
Malteser traybake is actually not baked at all. Also knownas Malteser tiffin, this quick and easy, no bake slice is loaded with chocolateand Maltesers and makes the perfect afternoon tea for adults or after schoolsnack for the kids.

Ingredients

  • 500 g milk chocolate (split 300g / 200g) (1.1lb)
  • 200 g unsalted butter (7oz)
  • ¼ cup golden syrup (60ml)
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa
  • pinch of salt
  • 250 g malt biscuits / cookies (I use Arnotts malt o milk) (8.8oz)
  • 300 g Maltesers / Whoppers (10.5oz)

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Instructions
 

  • Line an 8 inch or 9 inch square baking pan with baking paper.
  • Crush the biscuits to crumbs and tip them into a large mixing bowl. You can crush them in a plastic bag using a rolling pin or use a food processor or blender.
  • Roughly chop ¾ cup of the Maltesers and set them aside for the topping. Add the remaining whole Maltesers to the bowl with the crushed biscuits.
  • In a heavy-based saucepan over low-medium heat (no hotter), slowly melt together 300g (10.5oz) of milk chocolate and all the butter, golden syrup, cocoa and salt. Stir almost constantly.
  • Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes then pour it over the crumbs and Maltesers. Mix well to combine with a stiff spatula, then press it into the tin levelling out the top as you go.
  • Melt the remaining 200g of milk chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring well between each until just melted. Don't overheat it.
  • Pour the melted chocolate over the top of the Malteser layer, then scatter over the reserved chopped Maltesers.
  • Chill for 4-6 hours or overnight until set, wrapped well with plastic wrap.
  • Please take a moment to rate this recipe. I really appreciate it and it helps me keep creating more.

Notes

  1. You can swap half of the milk chocolate for dark / semi-sweet chocolate.
  2. While malt biscuits / cookies are best, you can use anything from digestive bisccuits to rich tea biscuits to graham crackers.
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Have you tried this recipe?Don’t forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.