I know that After Eights (thin soft mint fondant filled chocolate crisps in little individual envelopes) are available all year round, but for me they seem very Christmassy. I think it's probably because my mum was a teacher and she often received a couple of boxes as gifts from her students, along with some MatchMakers (ooh that's an idea!) and a Terry's Chocolate Orange!

I have made bars rather than thins mainly because I have some chocolate bar moulds and I thought they'd be more successful, but you could try with a larger tin, layering the chocolate, fondant and then chocolate. I reckon If you chill it well before cutting into squares you could get the desired After Eight effect. I'll update you if i get a chance to make these again before Christmas!

I had been tempted to call these After Sevens as a nod to the fact that they're a free-from version of an After Eight, but then you might not have known was I was talking about! The taste is really authentic, so I hope you really enjoy this recipe.

I used Sainsbury's own brand fondant icing which is may contain tree nuts but not peanuts, so that's good for us. If you're looking for totally nut-free fondant then Nut Free MarketPlace sells some. It's essential to use dark chocolate in this recipe to get the contrast of dark bitter chocolate and sweet minty centre.

After Eight Chocolate Bars

(dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, can be soya-free, can be gluten-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan)

180g dark dairy-free chocolate

150g white fondant icing, grated

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp caster sugar

1/2 - 1 tsp mint essence.

  1. Melt 120g of the chocolate (using this technique) and use to coat the chocolate bar moulds, or the bottom of a square tin. Let fully set.
  2. Make a sugar syrup out of the water and caster sugar by melting the sugar into the water until completely dissolved. Add the peppermint essence.
  3. Pour half of the user syrup into the grated fondant and mix to form a paste, adding more syrup until you get the desired consistency. It needs to be runny enough to ooze but not so runny that it's a liquid!
  4. Fill the moulds with the fondant filling, or cover the chocolate lined tin. Place in the fridge to firm up.
  5. Melt the remaining chocolate and spread over the exposed mint fondant and leave to set again.