Speckles

These eye-catching sweets, covered with tiny, brightly coloured baubles of sugar, have been delighting children for several decades. You can make them in the more usual bite-sized rounds, as in the recipe below, or as fun giant-sized speckles, great for gifting.

Makes about 24 bite-sized rounds

300 g (10½ oz) milk, dark or white chocolate; the better the quality, the better your speckles will taste (and the better they’ll be for you, too!)

150 g (5½ oz/½ cup) hundreds and thousands, sprinkles or cachous

Line two baking trays with baking paper and set aside.

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, ensuring the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has almost completely melted, then remove from the heat and continue to stir until very smooth and liquid.

Holding a teaspoon vertically straight, and close to the baking trays, drop teaspoons of the melted chocolate onto the trays, to form neat button shapes, making sure there is a small gap between each button. While still wet, sprinkle the hundreds and thousands over the top of each button to evenly cover them.

Allow to cool slightly, then refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until cold.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge or a cool, dark place. They will keep for up to 2 months.

Photography © Brett Stevens