Marmite Crunchy Nut Chocolate

This recipe was inspired by Nigella Lawson, a great favorite of mine. While I was watching her create her Sweet and Salty Crunch Nut bars, the Marmite gene deep within was creating the next step in the Marmite chocolate evolution. Thanks to Nigella’s inspiration we now have Marmite Spaghetti and now that inspiration has led me to create the Marmite Crunchy Nut Chocolate.

So here we have it, so simple but yet so tasty.

Ingredients

• Marmite
• 200gm milk chocolate
• 100gm dark chocolate
• 1 pkt Marmite Cashews
• 3 Crunchie bars
• 125gm unsalted butter

Break up the chocolate into chunks and heat gently in a pan. As the chocolate is melting, add the butter and 2 heaped teaspoons of Marmite. Keep stirring until you have a smooth lump-free mix. Chop the Crunchies into small chunks. Then add them to the chocolate mix along with the Marmite cashews. Stir until mixed and coated. Remove from the heat, spread into a foil container at a thickness of around 1cm and place in the fridge for about 3 hours until set. Finally, remove from the fridge ,chop into chunks and  indulge.

Very Peculiar? Marmite Chocolate

Having searched everywhere for Marmite chocolate last week, imagine my utter glee as yesterday morning I entered Robert Dyas in Brighton and there it was, in its sleek dark packaging, the familiar Marmite logo leaping of the packet drawing any true marmiteer towards it.

I hastily purchased two bars, and left the shop, thanking Mr Robert Dyas wherever he was. I was alone at the time  while waiting for my girlfriend who was having her hair cut, but I had to tell someone. I texted her the wonderful news and she replied with her usual enthusiasm (she has over the last couple of years embraced and encouraged my Marmite passion, not easy when living with an addict). She has become my chief taste tester so I needed her with me.

I walked around and decided a coffee was in order. I then stared longingly at the packet, reading the lable ‘Very Peculiar Milk chocolate, with a hint of Marmite indulgence. A Perplexing treat that bewilders the tastebuds’. Could all this be true of a chocolate bar? I love chocolate and, of course, I love Marmite but could this be a marriage of flavours to send me to heaven?

I left the coffee shop and collected my chief taster, even remembering in all the euphoria to tell her how nice her hair looked ( how good am I ).

We settled down and I opened the packet slowly to reveal the inner yellow wrapper. I smelt the chocolate, it had a hint of something different… We were at my dads house (he could easily be TheMarmitemansdad although he is not yet on Twitter). We all tried it, even my son who… does not like Marmite (Yes I Failed) and here’s my verdict.

To me its not got enough Marmite. If this was in a plain packaging I would doubt that anyone, even the most dedicated Marmite fanatics, would be able to say ‘that’s got Marmite in it‘. It just tastes like a slightly bitter tasting milk chocolate. Somewhere between that and dark chocolate. I have to say, I was slightly disappointed. It’s not very peculiar.

Having said that, the chocolate is nice. I have eaten the whole bar for research purposes, and you do get a taste left in your mouth for a few minutes after but it’s not Marmite as we know it.

I think they should revise it and add liquid centre of Marmite and then be true to the word Very Peculiar.

If you like Marmite and you eat chocolate, then you will eat this. If you don’t like Marmite and you eat chocolate, you will eat this. If you don’t like Marmite, you won’t buy this anyway so why not make it Marmitey enough to satisfy the true Marmiteer. It does not have to appeal to everyone.

This is my opinion and after so many years of spreading the spread so thick my taste buds have probably been Marmitezed, so I would appreciate your oppinions. Go out, buy it, try it and share with all of us what you think

Marmite Choconut Cakes

I never thought Marmite could go into something sweet and I certainly couldn’t have imagined that a few of my not so Marmitey friends would even try them (let alone enjoy them!). Now I’ve even got some orders

The new Marmite Chocolate will be available from shops tomorrow and I can’t wait to try it, but if you thought that the chocolate idea is ‘very peculiar’, you should try these:

Ingredients

• 600g soft margarine
• 600g caster sugar
• 5 heaped tsp of Marmite
• 200g cocoa powder
• 400g self raising flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 jar of peanut butter
• 300g icing sugar

In a large bowl cream together the sugar and margarine. When light in colour, beat in the Marmite. Mix the flour and cocoa powder together in another bowl. Add one egg at a time, and beat into the sugar and margarine with a little of the flour and cocoa mixture. Then, the remaining flour and cocoa should be gently folded into the mixture.

Once finished, grease a muffin tray and spoon in the mixture ( should make 12 cakes). Alternatively, use paper cake cases.

Cook at 180ºc for around 25 mins or until brown and cooked.

While the cakes are cooking, empty your peanut butter into a bowl and combine with the icing sugar.

Once the cakes have cooled, cover with the icing and enjoy.