Toasted Oat & Cornflake Caramel Truffle Bites

I had wanted to make cornflake cakes for a really long time. I also, with the festive season upon us, wanted to make some truffles. So I decided to combine the two and create these salty, chewy, chocolatey bites.

It starts with a layer of toasted oats, crunchy cornflakes and salty crushed crisps that are coated in lashings of amber caramel. Once patted into a tray, it gets topped with a thick, decadent dark chocolate ganache with a hint of coffee and salt. Once set, a dusting of cocoa powder adorns the top before being cut into the neatest little bars.

Ingredients - makes 32 bites
Cornflake Layer:
450g caster sugar
140g unsalted butter, room temp
280g double cream
1/2 tsp flaky salt
1/4 tsp vanilla paste
100g cornflakes
50g ready salted crisps
100g rolled oats

Truffle Layer:
200ml double cream
1 tsp finely ground instant espresso powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
20g unsalted butter, room temp
300g good-quality dark chocolate
1/4 tsp salt
Cocoa powder, to dust

Method
Grease and line an 8-inch square baking tin with butter and baking paper, leaving an overhang of baking paper so you can easily lift the bites out of the tin later.

Place the oats into a dry pan over low heat. Stir continuously for a few minutes until the oats are golden and smell toasted. Remove from the heat and place into a container to cool. Place the cornflakes and toasted oats into a large mixing bowl. Crush the salted crisps in your hands before adding them in, along with the salt.

For the caramel; place the sugar into a large saucepan over medium heat. Make sure you have the butter and cream ready. Continue to cook the sugar until the edges begin to melt and turn a golden colour. Using a wooden spoon, gently push the dry sugar into the melted sugar to stop it from cooking too much and to melt the rest of the sugar. Continue to occasionally swirl/agitate the sugar until it is all melted and a lovely amber colour. Try not to stir the sugar here or it will crystalise and become lumpy. Remove the pan from the heat and add in the butter. It will sizzle violently so be careful. Stir it in until it is all incorporated. Pour in the cream and vanilla and stir to combine. Place the caramel back onto the heat and let it bubble away for a couple of minutes until thickened and any pieces of hardened caramel have melted.

Pour the hot caramel into the bowl of cornflakes and stir together until well combined. Tip the cornflake layer into your prepared tin and push into an even layer using the wooden spoon. Remember, the caramel is still very hot. Place a piece of parchment over the top and press lightly with the base of a mug to make sure it is level and compact. Place into the fridge while you make the truffle layer.

Warm the cream, vanilla and espresso powder in a saucepan until just simmering. Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate in a small mixing bowl. Pour the warmed cream over the melted chocolate. Stir together until smooth. Add the butter and salt and, using a hand blender, blend the ganache until smooth and shiny. Try to keep the blade of the hand blender submerged whilst blending so that you don’t incorporate too much air. Ganache sometimes goes through a stage of looking split before it emulsifies. Just keep blending and it will eventually turn thick and glossy.

Take the cornflake layer from the fridge and remove the baking parchment. Spread the truffle layer on top in an even layer. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.

Once set, lift the bars out of the tin and peel the baking paper off of the back. Set it back down on the baking paper and sieve cocoa powder on top to cover the entire surface. Using a hot dry knife, cut it into 4 strips and then each strip into 8 mini bites. I like to heat my knife using a blow torch and wipe it after every cut to ensure they are nice and neat. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. They freeze well but the cocoa powder will need to be re-applied if you want to give them a refresh.