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Northern Irish fifteens recipe

Updated 29th October 2020

I grew up in Northern Ireland and these no-bake treats were a staple in the cake section of any cafe, alongside British classics like the Millionaire’s shortbread and flapjacks. It was only on leaving to come to England did I realise that they don’t exist across the water. Indeed, it appears they’re not even popular in the Republic of Ireland.

They are called fifteens as are made from three main ingredients of which you need 15 of each: digestive biscuits, marshmallows and glacé cherries. I share with you this easy classic recipe that kids can also help out in. Make these the day before you wish to serve them so they can chill in the fridge. I sometimes make these for St. Patrick’s Day.

Use vegetarian marshmallows if you wish to make them veggie-friendly. Examples of brands include Dandies Marshmallows if you’re in the States (and some Asda stores in the UK), or Freedom Mallows in the UK only.

Fifteens

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 15

Ingredients

  • 15 digestives ½ a pack or graham crackers,
  • 15 glacé cherries halved (½ a tub)
  • 15 large marshmallows quartered (½ a bag)
  • 200 ml condensed milk
  • 75 g desiccated coconut

Instructions

  • Crush the digestives by either putting them into a ziplock bag and crushing with a rolling bin, or by blitzing it in a food processor.
  • Mix together with the halved glacé cherries, the quartered marshmallows and condensed milk
  • Lay out some clingfilm/plastic wrap and put the desiccated coconut on it.
  • Using your hands, form a sausage with the dough and put it on top of the coconut
  • Wrap the clingfilm with the coconut tightly around the sausage, so the outside is covered with the coconut evenly
  • Put into the fridge overnight
  • Slice into 1cm thick pieces to serve

Notes

You can get vegetarian marshmallows from Holland & Barrett in the UK




9 Comments

  • Old Fashioned Susie
    24th March 2017 at 8:28 am

    These look very interesting and could be adapted easily

    Reply
    • Elsa Eats
      24th March 2017 at 11:31 am

      Yes, you can potentially add different things to the mixture or use different biscuits!

      Reply
  • MissPond
    24th March 2017 at 8:35 am

    I love fifteens! A friend of mine from Belfast introduced me to them years ago. Thanks for sharing a recipe – I’ve not had them since my first try!

    Reply
    • Elsa Eats
      24th March 2017 at 11:31 am

      I didn’t realise how much I missed them until I made these and ate them again! All the feelings of childhood!

      Reply
  • Kat Buckley
    25th June 2017 at 12:43 pm

    They sound yummy! I’ve heard of them but never tried them, thanks for linking up to #TreatPetite

    Reply
    • Elsa Eats
      2nd July 2017 at 3:53 pm

      Thanks Kat! I love sharing something I grew up with and loved as a child!

      Reply
  • […] For dessert from Northern Ireland, at the request of the Head Chef, we had to make Fifteens. These are a no-bake staple dessert which is very quick and simple to make. We used a recipe from Elsa Eats, […]

    Reply
  • Northern Ireland Fifteens – Third Love: Food
    10th January 2022 at 1:05 am

    […] Northern Irish fifteens recipe […]

    Reply
  • Gareth Oakes
    26th January 2023 at 12:56 pm

    I saw these on the YouTube channel Sorted and they are amazing. My Mum can’t have coconut, can I use icing sugar to cover instead?

    Reply

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