Chocolate Fudge Toasted Marshmallow Pots

We all know those winter Sundays when you've been out all morning at the farmers market, trudging around the supermarket, working out, gardening, antiquing or, in my case, watching junior football. You come home, put on your fuzzy socks, throw another log on the fire, curl up on the sofa with a good book, a mug of milky coffee and a quilt over your knees and the thing that would really put the icing on the cake (literally) would be a chocolately, fudgy, toasted marshmallowy pot of deliciousness... I've got you covered.

Chocolate Fudge Toasted Marshmallow Pots

adapted from here

Makes 4

For the Base:

8 gingerbread cookies (I used my homemade Gingerbread Oat Cookies, but you can use your favourite store bought ginger biscuits)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder

60g unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the Fudge Layer:

125ml buttermilk

125ml cream

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

1 egg

125g light brown sugar

45g unsalted butter, melted

50ml sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

150g plain flour

25g cocoa powder

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch sea salt

For the Topping:

White marshmallows

Make the Base:

Put the cookies/biscuits and cocoa powder into a food processor and blitz to fine crumbs.  Add the butter and pulse to mix.  Divide the mixture between 4 oven-proof jars and press down firmly.  Set aside.

Make the Fudge Layer:
Preheat the oven to 170C.

Put the buttermilk, cream and coffee granules into a saucepan.  Heat on low-medium until the coffee dissolves.  Set aside to cool completely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg and sugar for about 5 minutes, until light and smooth.  Add the cooled buttermilk mixture, melted butter, sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and add them to the batter.  Use a spatula to fold the mixture.  Divide the batter evenly into the jars, smoothing the tops to level them as well as you can.

Put the jars into a deep baking dish, pour boiling water into the baking dish so that it comes halfway up the sides of the jars.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the jars from the water bath and heat the grill/broiler to high.  Top the jars with marshmallows, pushing them down onto the fudge layer to get as many as you can on top and grill/broil until lightly toasted.  You can use a kitchen blowtorch to scorch the marshmallows if you have one.  Eat while hot.