Of all the recipes at our disposal it is Chocolate Coconut Crunch Slice that our youngest asks to take back to boarding school with him. I don't know if it's the chocolate, the coconut or the crunch that appeals to him. Maybe it's the combination of all three. If you'd like to bake this classic slice for your family here is the recipe (from Peggy Johnston, Heirloom Recipes, Country Style, May 2017). The cuttings in the jug are woodbine, a winter flowering shrub that has a divine scent. The shrub is about two metres high on the southern side of our house. I have to remember to cut it and bring it inside for the perfume.
Chocolate Coconut Crunch Slice
What you need: 1 1/2 cups plain flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 cups desiccated coconut, 1/4 cup Dutch cocoa, 250g unsalted butter, chopped, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla essence, extra 1/3 cup desiccated coconut, lightly toasted. Chocolate Icing: 1 1/2 cups pure icing sugar, 1/4 cup Dutch cocoa, 50g butter, 2 tablespoons hot water.
What you do: Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 3cm-deep, 33cm x 23cm baking tray, and line base and sides with baking paper. Sift flour into a large bowl. Add brown sugar, coconut and cocoa, and stir with a whisk until combined. Place butter in a small saucepan over a medium-low heat for three minutes or until melted. Add melted butter and vanilla essence to flour mixture, and stir until well combined. Spread mixture over the base of baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until firm to touch. Cool in pan.
To make chocolate icing, sift icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl. Place butter and hot water in a microwave-safe jug. Microwave on high for 40 seconds or until butter melts. Add butter mixture to icing sugar mixture and stir until smooth. Spread icing over cooled slice, then sprinkle with extra coconut. Cut into pieces to serve. Store in an airtight container for up to four days.
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Megan Trousdale
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