King Xerxes' Chocolate Treats

Please Remember: Kitchens are dangerous places full of sharp implements and high temperatures. You should always have an adult with you when you are cooking. Do not try to make King Xerxes' Chocolate Treats without the full permission and close supervision of an adult (preferably with one of your parents). Always take care around sharp knives and hot liquids. Concentrate on what you are doing and have fun!

King Xerxes' Chocolate Treats, like Mordecai's Date Slices, are a Purim Favourite in our family! We make these to remind us of King Xerxes, with his enormous parties - and his beauty contest. They are delicious to eat at any time of the year, but they make a brilliant addition to the food at any Purim Party! The only trouble with them is that they get eaten far too quickly and we hardly ever have any left-overs for the next day ...


Ingredients:


To make King Xerxes' Chocolate Treats:
  • Measure out the sultanas, apricots, dessicated coconut and nuts. It is important to be accurate. Wash the sultanas and apricots and pat them dry on kitchen paper.
  • Carefully use a sharp knife and a chopping board, or kitchen scissors, to halve the sultanas and chop the apricots and nuts into small pieces.
  • Place the halved sultanas, chopped apricots, dessicated coconut an chopped nuts into a large bowl. Toss together well.
  • Measure out the chocolate. Remember that it is important to be accurate. Break the chocolate into pieces and place the pieces in a bowl.
  • Carefully turn one of the cooker rings on. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil over a high heat.
  • When the water is bubbling, place the bowl of chocolate pieces into the pan over the boiling water. The bottom of the bowl should be just above the bubbling water and the edges of the bowl should be resting on the edges of the saucepan.
  • Over a medium heat, melt the chocolate in the bowl over the bubbling water. Stir the chocolate constantly to help it to melt. Be careful of the water spitting and fizzling from between the bowl and pan - it will be very hot!
  • Remove the chocolate from the heat. The chocolate should now be melted, quite smooth and shiny.
  • Turn the cooker ring off.
  • Take the bowl containing the chocolate out of the saucepan of water. Throw the water away. Dry and put away the saucepan. Allow the chocolate to cool just a little.
  • Pour the melted chocolate over the sultanas, apricots, dessicated coconut and nuts. Mix well, making sure that all the dried ingredients get thoroughly covered with chocolate.
  • Line a shallow cake tin with foil and tip the chocolate mix into it. Smooth down and then pack chocolate mix tightly down with a fork. It will be a bit bumpy.
  • Allow chocolate mix to cool in the tin on a cooling rack. Then put King Xerxes' Chocolate Treats into the 'fridge to set.
  • When they are chilled and set, turn out onto a clean work surface and carefully use a sharp knife to cut into squares. King Xerxes' Chocolate Treats are very hard, so take special care while cutting them up not to cut yourself.
  • Give King Xerxes' Chocolate Treats to friends and family as Mishloah Manot and serve at your Purim Party!

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