Superbly Simple Sweets - part 2

And so continues my no-bake recipes. The eastern part of Croatia is well known for its desserts. One, the madgarica, is a small "cake" bar cookie that if made domestically and totally from scratch consists of 7 thin layers of white biscuit and 6 layers of chocolate filling, topped with a dark chocolate "glaze". When made completely from scratch - it is a bit more time consuming but very yummy. This shortcut version was taught to me by one of my grannies. It tastes and looks just as good but is made in a quarter of the time.

Easy Croatian Madgarica

1 or 2 boxes of graham crackers or tea biscuits - preferably square

Chocolate pudding or custard filling - the more chocolaty the better. When you prepare the custard, make it more liquidy than normal (for an extra zip and to add that more homemade touch - try adding a tablespoon of liquor to the mix-works best if you have the stove top pudding mix so the alcohol cooks out).

2 bars (200 grams) dark chocolate

Butter

milk

Prepare the pudding as directed on the box. Take a 9x12 pan and line the bottom with the cookies. Apply a generous portion of the custard and smooth evenly over the cookie layer. repeat this process 4 - 5 times till you reach the top of the pan - you should have at least 4 and maybe 5 layers of cookie and your very last layer will be a cookie layer. If your pudding mix was a stove top mix, put it the pan in the fridge to cool. Take the chocolate bars and melt on the stove in a double boiler, adding a small bit of milk and butter to make the mixture more spreadable. Remove the pan from the fridge and spread the chocolate glaze over the top. To finish- try to spread the chocolate as smooth as possible - or take a fork and make straight lines down the length of the pan. Refrigerate overnight. Cut into thin, finger length pieces and serve.