I grew up with my mouth filled with Lexus sultana biscuits, Chipsmore cookies, and Choki Choki chocolate sticks—snacks unique to a Malaysian childhood. But now that I’m an adult (or so I’d like to think), these snacks don’t quite bring me the same joy as they did two decades ago. Eating them brings about waves of nostalgia, yes, but the flavour (or lack of it, rather) of these treats isn’t something I look forward to anymore.

Maybe it’s the health-conscious part of me who’s a little more aware of the dangers of processed sugars and flavourings in many of these kiddy snacks. Maybe it’s my palate that has grown more pompous over the years. Or maybe it’s just a drop in standards by these manufacturers, putting profit over quality.

Whatever it is though, whether I’m squeezing out a Choki-Choki like a tube of toothpaste, snapping sultana biscuits in two and chewing on the bits of purple jam, or picking out the shards of hazelnuts in a Chipsmore cookie, there’s a little less of that gleeful childhood innocence in these acts, or at least considerably less than I remember feeling.

But rather than put aside the subdued satisfaction and blame it on adulthood, I tapped into it, combining aspects of all three of my favourite childhood snacks into one grown-up dessert—a chocolate salami.

Sure, chocolate salamis aren’t particularly inventive. The Italians and Portuguese have made them for decades, if not centuries, they’ve been on the periphery of food fads, and increasingly you’ll find them all across the Western world, especially over the Christmas period. So while they might seem so prevalent, one thing I discovered, that you rarely hear, is that these are exceptionally versatile desserts, that can be easily tweked with your own fillings and flair.

While traditional chocolate salamis are filled with nuts and amaretti biscuits, really you can swap those out for any biscuits of your liking, even childhood ones. And that is what I did! Combining the chocolate overload of a Choki Choki, the nut-studded look of a Chipsmore cookie, and literal sultana biscuits crushed and folded into the salami itself. Oh, and also a splash of rum to drive home the fact that I’m now an adult, with responsibilities, strife, and the legal right to drink said responsibilities and strife away.

About the Dish

I took a classic chocolate salami base—made with good chocolate, melted in with a wad of butter and a splash of milk—and folded in some crushed up sultana biscuits, walnuts, and a splash of booze. Then, all it takes is a quick roll into a sausage-like log and some time to chill in the fridge, and you’ve got yourself a charming chocolate salami, filled with the best bits from your favourite kiddy treats. Then, it’s best sliced up into thick coins, but no one’s looking if you’re going to bite on it whole like a kid with a hotdog in hand.

Tips for Success

You can fit just about any of your favourite snacks (childhood or otherwise) into a chocolate salami. So feel free to let your imagination loose! An important note though, if you use less dense fillings like wafer-based cookies or marshmallows, use less of them. They take up more space with the same weight, so it’ll throw the chocolate-to-filling balance off. Vice versa for denser fillings like bits of caramel candy or licorice.
Before rolling the chocolate into logs, it’s best to let the mixture cool a little so it thickens. It’ll be much easier to shape this way.
Chill the chocolate salami thoroughly before slicing into it. Aim for at least a 2 hour chill in the refrigerator, though if you’re impatient, sticking it in the freezer for 45-60 minutes would do the trick too.

Chocolate Salami

Makes 2 logs

Ingredients

250g (8 oz.) dark chocolate
120ml (1/2 cup) milk
60g (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
15ml (1 tablespoon) rum or Kahlua, optional
100g (1 cup) sultana biscuits, or any other biscuits
50g (1/2 cup) walnuts, or any other nut, roughly chopped
50g (1/2 cup) icing sugar, for garnishing

Directions

Make the salami mix: Place the dark chocolate, milk, and butter in a microwaveable bowl, and heat it up in the microwave to melt the chocolate. (1 minute on high did it for me.) Take it out of the microwave and stir it until it becomes a smooth chocolate paste. Add the rum to the chocolate and mix it well. Give the sultana biscuits and walnuts a rough chop, and add it to the chocolate paste. Fold the mixture gently until all the pieces of biscuit and nuts are well-coated in chocolate. If the mixture is still warm and really runny, leave it out to cool down and thicken for 5-10 minutes before carrying on.
Roll it into a log: Lay out a 10-inch long piece of plastic wrap or cling film on your table or work surface, and pour half of the chocolate salami mix close to one edge of the plastic wrap, leaving about 2 inches of space from the chocolate to the closest edge. Then, lift up the plastic wrap from the closest edge, and gently mould the chocolate into a cylindrical, sausage-like log, rolling the plastic wrap over the log and twisting the ends like a candy wrapper to tighten the chocolate into a cylinder. Then, repeat this step for the rest of the chocolate mix.
Chill the chocolate salami: Chill the logs in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Then, take the logs out of the refrigerator and roll them on your work surface (with the plastic still on) to smooth out any bumps or flat surfaces. Then pop it back into the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 more hours to cool and harden completely.
Roll in icing sugar: When you’re ready to eat or serve, take the chocolate salami out of the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrapping, and roll it in icing sugar to get that healthy mouldy salami look!
Eat: With a sharp knife, slice the logs of salami into ½-inch thick coins. The slices keep well for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, or you could keep the logs whole too.