Fifteens
March 2025
Fifteens bring back warm memories of childhood tea times and that first heavenly bite of their sticky, marshmallowy goodness. They’re more than just a sweet treat – a nostalgic taste of home, family traditions and simple pleasures sprinkled with love.
In Northern Ireland, desiccated coconut has always held a special place in our hearts – for those of us who grew up in the 1970s, it was a comfort that found its way into simple school dinner sponge cakes slathered with jam and thick custard to more sophisticated creations from local bakeries that tasted like heaven.
Iced fingers, snowballs, teacakes, and coconut squares were all irresistible; just thinking about them made my mouth water. On the walk home from school, we’d often stop to press our noses against the bakery windows, mesmerised by the delights.
Childhood birthdays in our house were a feast of homemade goodies, all lovingly prepared by my mum and aunt. Alongside the sandwiches, top hats (marshmallows perched on chocolate discs and topped with Smarties), chocolate rice crispy buns, and ginger cake, one treat always stole the show: Fifteens.
This no-bake classic is as simple as it gets, named after its 1970s foolproof recipe: fifteen marshmallows, fifteen glacé cherries, and fifteen digestive biscuits. Back then, when kitchen scales were a rarity, and recipes were more about intuition than precision, this one was no exception. Mix it all with sweetened condensed milk, roll it in coconut, and voilà – a beloved Northern Irish classic was born.
RECIPE
Fifteens
Makes 12
Preparation time: 15 minutes. Chilling time: 4 hours.
Ingredients
15 digestive biscuits
15 glacé cherries, quartered
15 marshmallows, quartered
200ml sweetened condensed milk (approximately half a standard tin)
50g desiccated coconut
Method
Place the digestives in a large bowl and crush them with a rolling pin, leaving some small chunks for texture. Add the cherries, marshmallows and a tablespoon of the desiccated coconut and mix gently.
Pour in the condensed milk a little at a time, stirring until the mixture becomes a sticky, soft dough.
Sprinkle the remaining desiccated coconut onto a sheet of parchment paper about 30 cm (12 inches) long.
Transfer the fifteen’s mixture onto the coconut and roll it into a log shape, roughly 20 cm (8 inches) long, rolling it in the coconut to coat it entirely.
Wrap the log tightly in the parchment paper, twisting at the ends to secure it, and refrigerate for 4 hours until set.
Once chilled, slice into rounds and serve.
Storage:
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
