DELIGHTFUL Chocolate Peppermint Slice!

Hey Choc Mint fans! I've got this never-fail chocolate peppermint slice for you! This no bake choc mint slice is easy to make in 20 minutes or less and is so delicious! Cut them big or small and enjoy this classic Aussie slice. This is a pushy recipe Dear Reader!

I'm absolutely loving making slices during lockdown. I literally can't stop making them. You can't go wrong with a slice because they are never-fail recipes. They are perfect for newbies to cooking (two exceptions: vanilla slice and chocolate caramel slice which are more complicated) and they are simple but deliver results. You can do this entire choc mint slice recipe in a food processor or Thermomix so there's no sifting or mixing. An added bonus for those of us in lockdown is that you've probably got all of the ingredients in your pantry already. Slices also give a feeling of nostalgia.

Anatomy of a Chocolate Peppermint slice:

Base: The base is a cocoa flavoured biscuit base using plain cookies. I used digestive biscuits but use any plain cookie or Graham cracker. I added some salt to balance the sweetness of the filling.

Filling: The filling is simple. Just icing sugar, peppermint flavouring, a bit of water and green food colouring. I like to go really light on the food colouring because it can easily turn into a Hulk green shade. If you don't like things as sweet, please reduce the filling from 500g/1.1lbs and 5-6 tablespoons of water to 400g/14flozs. and 4-5 tablespoons of water.

Top: the top is just chocolate melted with coconut oil. The coconut oil makes the chocolate layer easier to cut. I used the tines of a fork to make the patterns on top.

Tip: make sure to use icing sugar and not icing sugar mixture Icing sugar is prone to getting lumps and icing sugar mixture has some cornflour/fine cornstarch added to prevent lumps. However the cornflour prevents the filling from setting as firm.

Tip: How to line a baking tin with parchment Cut out the parchment to size and then spray the tin with non stick oil spray-this helps the parchment to cling onto the tin and gives extra non stick insurance!

One thing that is helping me get through COVID is doing food swaps with Laura. It's something to look forward to and I plan menus based on including her (no capsicum, less red meat and pork). She loves a slice as much as I do and I gave her 6 pieces of this peppermint slice which disappeared in a flash. In return for all the cooked food she goes to the supermarket for us. We're both cooking more slices because cakes can fail, even for experienced bakers. I recently had a chiffon cake go wrong and I've made dozens of chiffon cakes and it was a devastating waste of eggs and ingredients and she recently had a tres leche cake go wrong.

We do contactless swaps where she and I leave things on my doorstep and have a conversation from my first floor balcony. However our swap was interrupted by new neighbours moving their fridge in. They are a couple of young guys and Mr NQN had a chat to one of them. He was actually moving in from another place just down the road. "Did you know he's actually moving everything piece by piece on his swivel chair?" he said surprised.

Sure enough, later in the day when we were coming home in the car Mr NQN said, "There he is," and pointed at our new neighbour. He had some things propped on his swivel chair moving them into his new apartment. We estimate he will finish moving in by the time COVID is over!

So tell me Dear Reader, do you like the chocolate peppermint combo? Do you have a favourite slice?

Chocolate Peppermint Slice

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 0 minutes

Serves: 16

For base:

• 300g/10.6ozs. plain cookies (I recommend Tennis biscuits* if you can get them)
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 35g/1.2ozs. desiccated coconut
• 150g/5ozs. melted butter
• 150g/5ozs. sweetened condensed milk
• Pinch of salt

For filling:

• 500g/1.1lbs icing or powdered sugar
• 3-5 tablespoons water
• A few drops of green food colouring
• A few drops of Peppermint essence

For topping:

• 175g/6ozs. dark chocolate
• 30g/1oz. coconut oil

Tennis biscuits are plain South African biscuits or cookies with a touch of coconut in them. They're fantastic for slices and cheesecake bases. Otherwise digestive biscuits also work.

Step 1 - Line the base and sides of a 20x20cm/8x8inch square tin. Place the cookies, cocoa and coconut in a food processor and blitz until small crumbs. Add the butter, condensed milk and salt and blitz until it comes together. Press into the tin and use an angled spatula to smooth it out. Pop it in the fridge while you make the filling.

Thermomix directions: Place the cookies, cocoa and coconut in the Thermomix bowl and set to 15 seconds speed #4.5. Add the butter, condensed milk and and salt and set to 10 seconds speed #4.5 until it comes together. Press into the tin and use an angled spatula to smooth it out. Pop it in the fridge while you make the filling.

Step 2 - Place the icing sugar in a food processor and blitz until you get rid of all the lumps, even the tiny ones. Add the water, colouring and peppermint essence and blitz until smooth. Spread over the base and pop this in the fridge while you make the chocolate topping.

Thermomix directions: Place the icing sugar in a food processor in the Thermomix bowl and set to 25 seconds speed #9 until you get rid of all the lumps, even the tiny ones. Add the water, colouring and peppermint essence and blitz until smooth. Spread over the base and pop this in the fridge while you make the chocolate topping.

Step 3 - Melt the chocolate in a microwave or double boiler with the coconut oil. Stir until smooth. Spread over the filling and use a fork to make patterns on the top. Allow to set in the fridge and then cut into 16 pieces.