Ginger caramel slice

“Give the oven a rest and let the fridge do its best -a no-bake slice is perfect with a cuppa!”- Good Taste Magazine

I am not sure if the editor at Good Taste thought ending a sentence with ‘cuppa!’, was a good idea or just relevant. The simple recipe that uses comforting pantry items does beckon the kettle to be boiled whilst making, but the urgency of that exclamation mark is a little unnecessary.

I stumbled across this recipe whilst searching for a simple dessert that I could make from all the items in my pantry. If you have a pantry that looks as obsessive compulsive as mine… then these items should already be waiting for you. If not, this ginger caramel slice should cost you under $10 (including the pan!) I managed to budget this tasty treat that makes up to 24 pieces without the help from that smug Curtis Stone.

I followed all of the ingredients, but added a few cheeky flavours that I felt were missing. ¼ Cup of desiccated coconut adds a nice subtle flavour and texture to the crumb mixture. When mixing in the butter I also added 1tsp of vanilla essence (if vanilla beans are available, scraping in a little of that would work perfectly).

Ingredients

            125g butter, chopped

            250g packet ginger nut biscuits, halved

            395g can sweetened condensed milk

            1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

Method

1.             Grease a 4.5cm-deep, 20cm (base) square cake pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang on all sides.

2.             Melt 75g butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Process biscuits until finely chopped. Add butter. Process until combined. Press mixture over base of prepared pan. Cover. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3.             Meanwhile, place remaining butter, condensed milk and sugar in pan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes or until mixture turns golden and thickens. Pour over prepared base. Set aside for 10 minutes. Cover. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.

4.             Cut into squares. Serve.

The recipe is written in a step-by-step structure, that it is extremely easy to follow. A little too ‘wordy’ for something that is basically telling you to melt some butter and crush some biscuits.

Once all of the ingredients are combined and in the fridge, start making your caramel! The recipe says it should take about 20minutes to have it at the right texture... I found I was stirring for about 30minutes and then the caramel was at a perfect consistency and golden colour. 

The end result is something sickly and delicious, but make sure it stays in the fridge to set. The caramel icing can take longer to set because of the fat and oil content in the butter and condensed milk. My end product does not look as delicately styled as the one our friends made at Good Taste, but I am sure it is more delicious!