Caramel chocolate rice krispie slice with a Peppermint candy cane variation

When my brother said we were meeting for lunch for his wife's birthday I decided to make a rice krispie riff on the classic Chocolate Caramel Slice for my sister in law who loves traditional Aussie slices.  It was not perfect but it was gelatine free, gluten free, almost dairy free and avoided all the nut allergies in the family.

With just one look you can see I could do better.  There is the tell tale chocolate bloom.  And not enough chocolate.  I think I would double it next time.  Underneath this is a caramel layer that was so chewy I called it "the jaw breaker".  Then there was the rice krispie layer which was good but perhaps when I decided to use more coconut I might have used less rice krispies.  Alas, it didn't look as impressive as the slice that inspired me.

At least it wasn't a melting 42 C like today!  And the almond butter worked just as well as the cashew butter in the previous rice krispie slices I have used before.  I hope to experiment more with this idea.  Cooling the caramel on a plate while cooking seemed helpful in getting a sense of how far the caramel had cooked.  Having complained about cooking it too much, the coconut condensed milk made a nice caramel but I wonder if it did not colour up as much as the dairy condensed milk.

I only needed part of the rice krispie mixture and then ants have attacked leftover candy canes so I used the two or three that I salvaged to make a peppermint version with the rest of the slice.  It was good but again the coconut made it a bit dry and I think stopping to bash up candy canes (on a folder tea towel so we didn't pock mark the kitchen table like last time) meant that it didn't hold together so well.

We took it down to my brothers' place where a bbq was held but the main event was the sweet food.  My sister in law made gorgeous gluten free cupcakes and a yummy clinkers slice.  My mum made a dependably good gluten free chocolate cake and an impressive gluten free pistachio and pomegranate cake.  My sister had had a birthday celebration for her boyfriend the previous night and brought along leftover chocolate layer cake.  It was a tyranny of choice.  Which is no bad thing at a birthday celebration.

More rice bubbles slices on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Chocolate almond rice bubble slice (gf, v)
Jeanette's coconut date slice (gf, v)
Mars bar slice
Monster rice krispies (gf, v)
Nutella rice bubble slice
Pooh bear honey slice

Chocolate caramel rice krispie slice
with a Peppermint candy cane variation
A work in progress recipe by Green Gourmet Giraffe

1⁄2 cup almond nut butter*
1⁄2 cup rice malt syrup (or brown rice syrup)
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp margarine or butter*
pinch of salt
1 cup desiccated coconut*
4 cups rice bubbles (ie rice krispies, or other puffed rice)*

For Chocolate caramel variation:
400ml tin condensed milk*
125g dark chocolate chips*
1 tsp neutral oil

For Peppermint candy cane variation:
3-4 tbsp crushed peppermint candy canes
1/2 tsp peppermint essence
75g dark chocolate chips*
1 tsp oil

Put nut butter, rice malt syrup, brown sugar, margarine and salt into a large microwave proof bowl and heat in microwave until warm and gooey (about 1 minute).  Mix in coconut and rice bubbles.

To make the Chocolate caramel rice krispie slice:
Press 2/3 of the mixture into a 22cm square tin lined with baking paper.  (I found using my hands was the best way to press it firmly and that the quicker this was done after mixing the better.)

Gently simmer the condensed milk for 10 to 15 minutes until it changes colour and when cooled on a plate is soft but holds its shape.  I boiled my coconut condensed milk for 15 minutes on medium heat, bubbling it along the whole time and at the end of these time it was really really chewy.  Pour hot caramelised condensed milk over the rice krispies.  Cool.

Heat the chocolate and oil in the microwave until mostly melted and stir to completely melt.  Spread over cooled caramel layer.

Cool in the fridge and cut into squares to serve.  I found that small squares were required because it was quite intense.  Keeps in an airtight container for at least 4-5 days.

To make the Peppermint candy cane rice krispie slice:
Mix remaining mixture with crushed candy canes and peppermint essence.  Then press into a lined loaf tin.  Do this as soon as possible after stirring.

Melt the chocolate and oil in microwave until mostly melted and stir to complete melting.  Drizzle over peppermint slice.  Cool in fridge to set chocolate and then cut into squares.

*NOTES: For vegan slice check that the margarine, condensed milk and chocolate is vegan.  I used nuttalex margarine and coconut condensed milk.  For gluten free slice, check that the rice bubbles are gluten free.  For a nut free slice, you could try using this date and coconut slice as a base.  If you don't have access to coconut condensed milk at the shops, you could try this vegan condensed milk recipe with coconut milk or milk of choice.

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