Sunday 19 February 2012

Choc almond slice, Valentine and Koorioberee

What have Valentines Day and local traditional dancing got in common?  Not a lot.  Maybe some people find it romantic to dance like a kangaroo for their beloved but I suspect they are few and far between.  Yet in this post they are linked by this chocolate almond slice which seemed just right for Valentines Day and was the perfect snack after seeing a dance performance last weekend. 

A surplus of nut butter, gave me an urge to make this No-bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispies with PB Fudge from Oh She Glows.  Sylvia is allergic to peanut butter so I used almond butter, which worked really well.  When I made the fudge topping I worried it was too sweet.  Once combined with the rice bubble mixture it was superb. 

The whole thing seemed like a healthy version of the Mars Bar Slice that is so popular on my blog.  Sticky, crunchy, gooey with a creamy topping.  But less sweet and more chocolatey.  I also loved the addition of coconut which reminded me of childhood favourite, Chocolate Crackles.

Last weekend we went to the city for Melbourne's Indigenous Arts Festival.  It was a great way to spend the afternoon.  I particularly enjoyed the Koorioboree, performances by eight traditional Koorie dance groups.  It is fantastic to see these groups reclaiming and sharing culture.  And I find the actual dancing really uplifting.  We also saw some Indigenous art in the Potter Gallery at Fed Square and some open air music performances. 

At the art gallery, Sylvia spied some colourful macarons and wanted one.  I thought of the choc almond slice at home and told her she could have a piece when we got home.  I was glad we waited because the slice was so much more satisfying than a macaron.

I also think that the slice would make a great Valentines Day recipe, especially in Australia where it falls in the summer, a time when I don't always feel like turning on the oven.  I don't get terribly excited about the day (we went out for dinner on Valentines Day this year as it was the day we could get babysitting but I would have preferred a quieter night) but I do love the opportunity to indulge in chocolate and fun shapes.  So here is a list of some of the inspiring Valentine recipes I have see around the blogosphere and some heart shaped baking on my blog.

Valentine recipes around the blogosphere:

Heart shaped food on Green Gourmet Giraffe

I am also sending this slice to Jac of Tinned Tomatoes for her Bookmarked Recipes event.

Chocolate almond rice bubble slice

Adapted from Oh She Glows
Makes about 30 bites or 16 squares
  • 1/2 cup almond butter
  • 1/2 cup brown rice syrup (I used rice malt syrup)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • pinch salt
  • 75g dark chocolate (I used 70%), chopped
  • 3 cups rice bubbles (aka rice krispies) or GF rice puffs
  • 1/2 cup dessicated coconut
Fudge Topping
  • 1 cup almond butter
  • 75g dark chocolate (I used 70%), chopped
  • 1 tsp rice bran oil
  • salt, to taste
  • coconut for sprinkling
Line a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper. 

Place almond butter, rice syrup, vanilla, milk, cocoa, and salt in a large mixing bowl and combine.  Add chocolate and microwave until it is melted (or you can do this in a large saucepan).  Stir well and mix in rice bubbles and coconut.

Transfer into prepared tin, press down with the back of a spoon and wait until it firms up.  Angela suggested 10 minutes in the freezer but mine was full so I just left it at room temperature for about an hour.

Meanwhile make the Fudge topping.  Place almond butter, chocolate, oil, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl.  Gently heat until the chocolate is melted.  Add more salt if desired.  Pour over the firm slice and sprinkle with coconut.

Leave slice in the fridge until the topping sets (or Angela suggests an 45-50 minutes in the freezer).  Cut into squares or small bites to serve.  Keep in fridge (or freezer).  My slice lasted a week.

On the Stereo:
Ruby: the Killjoys

32 comments:

  1. I want a piece of that slice!

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    1. Thanks K - would love to share it with you (but it would need GF rice puffs first)

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  2. That looks amazing! And unless I've missed something, it's both vegan and wheat-free, so I could even feed it to my mum :)

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    1. Thanks Rachel - it is vegan and if you get the right rice bubbles/krispies/puffs it is wheat free and gluten free - I have only tried GF rice puffs once and they tasted stale but I am sure there are better ones out there

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  3. waw! These trats look awesome, tasty & apart too! I so much love almond butter!
    Who wouldn't love these bitesized treats?

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    1. Thanks Sophie - I love almond butter too - think I preferred it in this than peanut butter

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  4. They look great, you've really made me crave chocolate rice krispie treats now! I love your plate covered in baking bits and bobs.

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    1. Thanks C - the plate was a birthday present from my big sister! I adore it and have been using it a lot

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  5. Joanna, as usual, I love the stories about the weather and life in Australia. It's ALWAYS such a pleasure to read. Would you happen to be able to indicate the type of music playing during the aboriginal dance?

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    1. Thanks Cooksploratrice - The music was the didgeridoo, clap sticks and vocals - if you search Australian Aboriginal music you might get a podcast to give you a sense of it - it is very relaxing

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  6. I have been thinking about making a choccie slice - and then this post appears!! YUMMO!

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    1. Thanks Lisa - choccie slice is very popular in our house right now - I have also made another that I hope to post soon

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  7. Ahhh.. they look great, and remind me of my long-pined-for lamingtons.. Will give these a go!

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    1. Thanks Matt - I understand that the chocolate and coconut combo make you think of lamingtons but I can tell you that the rest of it is even better - hope you love it too

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  8. Love the sound of both slices - delish!

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  9. Love the look of the choc krispie slices. Like how you have an actual layer of topping rather than it all being mixed in together.

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    1. Thanks Katie - I really liked the creamy topping - Angela mixed coconut in hers but I preferred the coconut mixed in with the rice bubbles

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  10. If only almond butter wasn't so expensive, I'd use it far more than peanut butter in my creations :( Happy Valentine's Day!

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    1. Thanks Hannah - I'd probably bake things with peanut butter if sylvia wasn't allergic - in fact I suspect I have a few things with it on the blog from before her diagnosis - but almond butter is a fine substitute

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  11. I wasn't a huge chocolate crackles fan (honey joys for me) but this looks really good! And thank you for the shout out too! :D

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    1. Thanks Lorraine - definitely better than chocolate crackles (ages since I had honey joys - bet sylvia would love them)

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  12. "Maybe some people find it romantic to dance like a kangaroo for their beloved but I suspect they are few and far between" - I am still giggling :)

    And I love the look of this slice! For any day of the year I think.

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    1. Thanks Kari - I love watching Aboriginal dancers mimic the kangaroo but it is not a romantic performance :-)

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  13. This does sound great, and I daresay I might even be able to adapt it to a version I can actually eat! Yay! The festival sounds like a fun time, too (and I agree, this would be much better than macarons). :)

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    1. Thanks Ricki - I would love to see your version - it wasn't overly sweet but was high in flavour

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  14. Mmm thanks for reminding me about this! The slice looks so good. I love chocolate and nut butter together.

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    1. Thanks Ashley - highly recommend it - bump it up the to-make list - I would love to hear what you think

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  15. I have read your post with interest. The recipe is intriguing and I am glad Sylvia forwent the macaroon in favor of a piece of slice :)
    I am very attracted to:
    - the photo with one piece of our slice on the plate: the plate has a busy decoration and I feel like the piece of slice is trying to find its place among all the things depicted on the plate: it's fascinating
    - the human torso: what a great photo! Is he one of the dancers you mention?
    Thank you so much for including my post in your list.

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    1. Thanks Simona - I fear that the lone slice on the plate was really intended to feature the plate more that the slice - it is a bit where's willy! The photos of the human torso is from the one of the dances that we watched - I had other photos I loved but the Aboriginal culture has some taboos around photos so I hoped that this would be acceptable rather than using more identifiable photos - especially as I try not to feature faces of people I know on the blog.

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  16. They look great Johanna, I especially like the photo where the chocolate has just been poured over the slice. Mmmmmmmm :P

    Thanks for entering it into Bookmarked Recipes Johanna :)

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  17. A less sweet and more chocolatey version of a mars bar sounds just perfect.

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