Bourbon Biscuit Tray Bake (No-Bake)

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

This Bourbon biscuit tray bake is a chocolate lover's dream! It's rich, indulgent, and incredibly easy to make. With a no-bake biscuit base, a creamy chocolate fudge topping, and more Bourbon biscuits for decoration, it's a nostalgic sweet treat that's perfect for any occasion.

side shot of bourbon biscuit tray bake slices

I'm back with another no-bake traybake recipe! This one is a mixture of the Bourbon brick brownies and the Custard Cream tray bake that I made last year. They have turned out to be two of my most popular recipes to date so combining them to make this chocolate Bourbon biscuit tray bake was a no-brainer! It turned out even better than I'd hoped and I just know you're going to love it too! Let me show you how to make it…

Ingredients

There are just 4 ingredients in this Bourbon biscuit tray bake. Here's what you'll need:

Bourbon biscuits: The star of the show, these classic British biscuits go in both the base and topping. We'll crush them finely for the base and keep some whole for a bit of crunch and decoration on top.
Butter: Melted butter helps bind the biscuit base together. Make sure it's fully melted with no lumps left as this can prevent the base from setting properly.
Condensed milk: This is another ingredient that goes into both the base and topping. It helps create that sweet, fudgy texture we're looking for. Learn about the difference between evaporated milk and condensed milk and make sure you choose the correct one!
Milk chocolate: This is for the chocolate fudge topping. If you fancy a richer flavour, you can use an equal amount of dark chocolate or if you want your traybake to be sweeter, use white chocolate.

Equipment Notes

Food processor: Or high-power blender, for crushing the Bourbon biscuits into fine crumbs. If you don't have either, you can use a rolling pin and a zip-lock bag but you'll need a bit of elbow grease to ensure that there are no lumps left in there.
8x8-inch tin: This size tin gives this Bourbon traybake the perfect thickness. If you don't have one, you can make individual servings using cupcake cases. Alternatively, use my cake pan converter tool to adjust the recipe to your tin size.
Baking paper: Lining the tin with baking paper makes it much easier to remove the tray bake once it's set.
Baking tray: You'll need this to warm up the Bourbon biscuits for the topping. Any flat oven-safe tray will do. They don't need to go in the oven for long so don't worry about lining the tray.
Saucepan: This is used to melt the chocolate and condensed milk together. If you don't have one, you can use a heat-proof bowl and melt the mixture in 30-second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each burst.
Mixing bowl: You'll need a large mixing bowl to combine the biscuit crumbs, butter, and condensed milk.
Utensils: The only essential utensil is a wooden spoon but I also like having a silicone spatula to press the mixture into the tin because it doesn't stick as much.

stack of 3 slices of bourbon biscuit tray bake

How to Make Bourbon Biscuit Tray Bake

Follow these simple steps to make this delicious no-bake traybake:

Step 1: First, let's separate the Bourbon biscuits into halves. Place 8 biscuits onto a baking tray and warm them up in a 180°C oven for 3 minutes or so- just enough to soften the filling. Remove them from the oven and gently slide them apart to make 16 halves (doing it this way will prevent the biscuits from breaking). Set them aside for now.

Step 2: Next, line an 8x8-inch tin with baking paper, leaving a bit hanging over the edges for easy removal later.

Step 3: Place 450g of Bourbon biscuits into a food processor or high-speed blender and crush them up into fine crumbs. Try to get them as fine as possible with no lumps in there.

Step 4: Put the biscuits crumbs into a large bowl then add 120ml of condensed milk and 150g of melted butter. Mix everything together thoroughly to make a wet dough.

Step 5: Press the dough into your lined tin, making sure you get it all the way to the edges.

chocolate biscuit dough press into lined tin

Step 6: Now it's time to make the fudge topping. Break 250g of milk chocolate into pieces and place it into a medium-sized saucepan along with the rest of the tin of condensed milk (277g).

Step 7: Put the saucepan over low heat on the stove and gently stir the mixture until it becomes glossy. There should be no lumps of chocolate left in there.

Step 8: Pour the chocolate fudge mixture on top of the biscuit base in the tin and spread it out evenly. Top with the Bourbon biscuit halves, placing them in 3 rows of 5.

Step 9: Refrigerate your traybake for 3 hours until the topping has become firm to the touch. Then just cut it into slices and enjoy!

Top Tips

Be careful not to add the entire tin of condensed milk at once! Only 120ml for the base and the rest for the topping.
To get super clean slices, dip your knife in hot water and wipe it dry between slices. This prevents the chocolate topping from looking dry or crumbly.
The milk chocolate can be swapped for dark or white chocolate, depending on your preference. White chocolate should be upped to 300g to help it set better.
If you're short on time, you can speed up the setting process by popping the tray bake in the freezer for about 1 hour instead of the fridge for 3 hours.

FAQs

Why do I need to warm the biscuits for the topping?

Warming the biscuits for a few minutes in the oven makes them easier to split in half without breaking. If you prefer, you can use whole biscuits or even crush them up for the topping instead.

How long will this Bourbon biscuit tray bake last?

If stored properly in an airtight container in the fridge, your traybake will last for up to 5 days. But in my experience, it hardly ever lasts that long! You can also freeze it for up to a month if you want to make it ahead of time. Defrost it overnight in the fridge.

Why has my chocolate topping not set properly?

If your fudge topping isn't setting, it's likely because the ratio of chocolate to condensed milk is off or it hasn't been in the fridge for long enough. Make sure you're using 250g of chocolate and only the remaining condensed milk (approximately 277g). Also, be sure to refrigerate it for the full 3 hours.

bourbon chocolate tray bake slices on a white worktop

More no-bake tray bakes:

I hope you like my no-bake Bourbon biscuit tray bake recipe! If you try it at home, please leave a comment and rating below to let me know what you think. Enjoy!