Caramel slice for your bikkie tin

A simple slice like this is a recipe that most of our Grandma’s would have had at their fingertips, and look at us, we were never little butterball kids – get back to making your own baked treats and stave off childhood obesity (or that’s the theory anyway).

I wasn’t a fat kid. Most of the kids I went to school with weren’t fat either.

I’m going to put it down to a biscuit barrel and a cake tin hidden away in the pantry that was regularly stocked with home-made treats.

No trans-fat and preservative stacked nightmares. Nothing wrapped in plastic from a shop or a production line. Just good old honest buttery and sugary biscuits and scones, cakes and slices and tarts.

My Grandma’s green anodised aluminium cake and biscuit tins were always stocked when we went to visit. Patty cakes with pastel-coloured crisp-sugar icing, biscuits and caramel slice awaited us. While the adults chatted away over cups of coffee, the kids would be sipping lemon cordial and nibbling away on a treat from the tin.

It’s time we tried to bring back the bikkie tin and took more of an interest in making things for ourselves.

It takes time and effort, both things sadly in short supply for many of us. But knowing exactly what’s in that sweetie, and savouring a small piece of cake, or just one biscuit is surely much better than gorging on half a dozen factory-made chocolate biscuits.

If it just takes too much time and effort to make a slice, or a batch of lamingtons, maybe we could all do

without and save our treats for the times where we can spare the time to make something at home instead of

buying something from the shops.

My Grandma’s caramel slice has attained legendary status in the family, and it’s the first recipe in my humble

campaign to reacquaint myself with the inside of the bikkie tin and try to turn back time – just a little bit.

I hope you enjoy the journey with me.

Caramel slice, Grandma-style

Ingredients

The base

1 cup plain flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup shredded or dessicated coconut

125 g butter

The filling

1 tin (390g) sweetened condensed milk

60g butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup

The topping

150g chocolate

60g butter

large mixing bowl

small bowl

20 cm square cake tin or baking tray

baking paper to line the tin

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180 degreec Celsius and line the baking tray with non-stick paper.

Start with the base.

Sift the plain flour and brown sugar into a mixing bowl and add the coconut. Melt butter and mix with the flour, sugar and coconut until well combined.Press the mixture into the lined tin spreading the base evenly and well into the corners. Place in a preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes or until just golden.

Make the filling.

Combine condensed milk, butter and golden syrup in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1-2 minutes or until the butter is melted.

Mix well and set aside until the base is ready to come out of the oven.

While the base is still hot from the oven, pour caramel filling mixture into the baking tin tilting the tin to ensure the filling is evenly spread. Return the tin to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

For the chocolate topping melt 150g of chocolate with 60g butter and stir well. Spread evenly over the caramel layer of the cooled slice.

Refrigerate for just a few minutes until the chocolate topping begins to firm up. Gently score the chocolate with a knife marking out the final portions. This will stop the chocolate from cracking when the top is properly set.