Super Special Chocolate and Caramel Slice.

Mmmm - a little bit of baking has been going on here at The Farm.  I had a sudden urge to bake something disgustingly unhealthy.  Then I remembered this old favourite caramel slice. Various forms of this recipe have been around for years and I can remember eating it as a child.  It fits in the "oldie but goodie" section of my recipe file.

Anyway, as Christmas is coming up, I thought everyone might like it.  It is really easy to make but a little bit fiddly as you have to wait for the layers to cool.  Definitely worth it though.  It is also super rich and, like many good things, a little bit goes a long way.

Super Special Chocolate and Caramel Slice

Ingredients

Base

• 1 cup of plain flour
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of dessicated coconut
• 125g of butter melted

Filling

• 2 tablespoons of golden syrup
• 395g tin of sweetened condensed milk (Nestle all the way on The Farm)
• 60g of butter melted

Topping

• 300g of chocolate melts (again I use the Nestle ones)
• handful of pecans

Making the base is super easy.  First line a slice tin (I use a rectangular one roughly 20x30cm).  Then mix all the base ingredients together and press it into the tin.  Bake for about 15 minutes at 180 degrees.  Take out of oven and set it aside to cool.

OK - the caramel layer is a little bit trickier.  Empty your condensed milk into a pot.  I always think of condensed milk as "Nestles milk", with Nestles pronounced to rhyme with wrestles, as that was what we called it when I was growing up.  None of this fancy "Nestlay" business in my 1970s-80s childhood.  Anyway, digressing.  Add the melted butter and golden syrup to the pot and cook it over a low-medium heat.  You need to whisk it continuously during this time.  It will take about 7-8 minutes and will gradually thicken and became a golden caramel colour.  Resist the temptation to leave it, even for a second, as it will burn.  I have learnt this the hard way.  When it is a lovely gooey caramely mess pour it over the cooked base.  Bake it in the oven for 10 minutes.  It should come out looking a bit like this.

Bottom Two Layers of Slice

Pop it in the fridge for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.  All it needs then is the chocolate topping.  I use Melts as I can microwave them.  Basically I microwave them for 30 seconds at a time and stir in between, until they are all melted.  If you want to be more traditional and go for the double boiler approach, feel free.  While they are melting I roughly chop up my pecans and give them a quick toast in a dry pan.

Toasting Nuts

Then I pour the melted chocolate over the caramel and  sprinkle the pecans over the top.  I would love to say that I arrange the pecans beautifully however I would be lying through my teeth.  I just toss them on top any which way.  I have seen this slice made with a whole pecan in the centre of each piece - it was not made by me though!  The slice then goes back into the fridge until the chocolate is set.

Ta Da! Random Pecans and All.

One more thing (sorry, this recipe is turning out to be longer then War and Peace) if you want to make the slice look pretty when you cut it, use a hot clean dry knife.  I do this by having a jug of hot water there, dipping the knife in it and drying it on a tea towel before each cut.  This is a bit of a hassle but makes it look much less messy.


So there you go. A  very, very yummy slice.  I try and save it for special occasions as otherwise I would be the size of a house.

Take care everyone.