Which is the tastiest Protestant traybake?

[FiddleFaddleDingDong]

NI Protestants are famed for their tray bakes but which is the best traybake of all?

I’m thinking something crunchy and chocolatey, a tiffin like thing. But are there unchocolatey traybakes that I just haven’t been exposed to? Are they keeping all the best recipes to themselves, strictly to be eaten behind closed doors?

And does it get a bit competitive? Does Annie cast aspersions on Doris’ traybaking abilities?

NI prod from the 'bible belt' here. My dad goes to a few table quizzes and apparently the WI are the best, as everyone tries to make the best traybakes, and it would b rude not to try them all!!

@BadlyAgedMemes - from what I have read on here, the sweet stickiness with jelly babies might be Fifteens (there is a recipe upthread somewhere) which has 15 marshmallows in the original recipe but has a version with jelly babies instead.

Can I admit something here....I’m a former CofI now athiest in a very catholic family and I take my many small kids on the traybake circuit. All the Presbyterian churches around Belfast do coffee and craft mornings/spring fairs/family days and I rock up to loads of them for the free coffee, fussing over the kids and somewhere safe for them to run about as I scoff free traybakes. I know I should be ashamed but I’ve even debated joining one particular Presbyterian church nearby because it’s so nice and friendly and they never accept donations for the coffee and UNBELIEVABLE cake spread. You take a paper plate and actually it’s normal to take like 5 cakes/traybakes. I nearly cried tears of joy when they gave the kids party bags and even one for me with a nice candle and sunflower to grow (prayer stuck on side).

Now THATS recruiting.

Presbyterian Parkin Proselytism

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius - I think you're right. I think my lack of traybake experiences in NI must be because I never got into any church activities at all (apart from while shortly dating a religious guy who took me to his church, but it was an arm-waving, happy-singing, Jesus-is-our-mate kind of a place... I don't think I stuck around long enough to sample baked goods!)

I've been reading this thread to DH, and the magic words of "desiccated coconut" has him nodding sagely. I must try to get him to watch Derry Girls with me.

But badly traybakes are pretty much everywhere - in every cafe, shop and garage, even hotel menus have them on - and at my very secular workplace the canteen stocks a very respectable selection of traybakes including massive fifteens and chocolate rice crispie squares which I always resist

@PierreBezukov - then I have no explanation... I lived there for more than five years! I must have been too preoccupied by my love of potato farls and Julie's Burgers.

^Julie's Kitchen that was... I hear they were very bad, actually, but they were a much loved drunken rubbish for me...

To be fair, I definitely have a sweet tooth and a keen eye for traybake provision and quality wherever I go. Now, thanks to this thread, I can blame this on my upbringing.

I've been inspired by you all to make caramel shortbread this afternoon. Not made it for a few years. Twenty minutes it took to get the caramel to turn.

Julie's Kitchen did a fantastic spicy chicken burger. I won't hear a word against them

My mother used to stay with a friend (late 1950s) whose parents were NI Protestants of the bleakest sort. They used to have little biblical texts dotted around the kitchen, for example ‘thou shalt not steal’ taped to the inside of the biscuit tin lid, or ‘thy sins shall find thee out’ on the fridge door. I think traybakes would have been altogether too frivolous for that household!

I'm usually in the AIBU or conceptions topics but when I'm scrolling through the active discussions this has been coming up quite a lot.

I have no advise, I just wanted to share that when I scroll past I instinctively read the title as 'Which is the tastiest prostate traybakes'

It been really bugging me as my conscious knows that's not what is says by my subconscious reads it that way.

Every. Time.

I have to go to Carlingford in a few months, and I might go on up to Newry and do a bit of shopping (Brexit border situation allowing of course), any recommendations for great traybakes to be had near The Quays or Buttercrane shopping centres?

I opened the thread thinking there must be a typo. Born and bred English (and CofE, but now atheist), I never knew there was such a traybake tradition

What's even more annoying, is that my DBro (also English) lived in NI for several years, and he's NEVER said anything about this!!!

I've been saving/bookmarking these recipes and I'll have a go. And next time Dbro is in NI he'll be under strict instructions to bring back some Veda to try.

The thread has been a lot of fun to read, and thanks for the recipes.

Protestents are into their traybakes. But us Catholics make the best sandwiches-especially for funerals

@SDGTisanEvilWolefGenius I hope you enjoy it, it's really comprehensive, the imperial measurements can be a pain ( a gill of milk?) But It's time travel via the medium of baking recipes!

The last catholic funeral I went to had a major spread. It was basically a fork buffet. Of course the proddy neighbours supplied a whole table full of traybakes. But the buffet was really something to behold.

For some reason I had the perception that NI was very divided. Far more so than Glasgow.

Tales of tray bake and sandwiches at funerals has completely blown that perception. The things that you learn.

SDTG, here's the mocha buttercream.

3 oz margarine or butter
6 oz icing sugar
1 dtsp drinking chocolate
1 tsp instant coffee dissolved in a tiny amount of hot water
3 drops vanilla essence
1 tbsp evap. milk

Thank you, @PolkadotsAndMoonbeams!

One can of condensed milk normally does for fifteens & fudge.
Dad's family were Presbyterian and they were more into their traybakes than mum's C of I side. They taught me the family versions, done more often by eye than exact weights.

We could've opened our own bakery during DF's wake the amount of scones & traybakes people brought with them (as he liked a good scone). Don't think we bothered with sandwiches till the tea at church hall after burial.

I must investigate the raspberry ruffle scone next time I'm home, will make a change from cherry & treacle which are my usual preferences (inherited from DF, alongside hankering for chesterbread/fruit square).

I never had an un-burnt english muffin till I moved to the mainland. I've always been to scared to query the reason for this over there (I'm from the opposite side of the river to the derry girls).

My favourite tray bake is lemon and blackberry. I know you said you wanted something chocolatey but it's so good!

Glasweigian here who loves fifteens but didnt know they were called fifteens or were proddy tray bakes until a Mumsnet thread a few years ago.

I'll be making some tomorrow. Well I'll make 2 lots since we've established a tin of condensed milk is the size of 2 small tins.

Tottenham Cake