Individual Peppermint Crisp Fridge Tarts

Happy National Chocolate Mint Day!

I felt this was a day that had to be celebrated since I'm pretty sure chocolate and mint is my all time favourite flavour pairing!  I went through a stage where every dessert I made had to be made better by adding a little mint to it! However, we've found out recently that my husband gets crazy bad heartburn if he has too much mint (randomly) so I try and sneak it in here and there when I can in small doses to still get my fix! 

Fortunately, my husband is South African and so he's always willing to get heartburn for something as tasty as peppermint crisp fridge tart! For those who haven't been following the blog for long, peppermint crisp fridge tart is a very South African dessert - I have yet to meet a South African who didn't feast on this growing up! 

This continues to be one of my most visited recipes on the blog! and it's just not a very photogenic dessert so I'm always trying to think of ways to make it look prettier.

I thought it would be cute to make individual portions in these glasses and layer it up. If you want to make it the standard way then follow this recipe, or jazz it up with a crust around the edge then follow this recipe. I blitzed up the tennis biscuits to crumbs in order to make the layering smoother...but they were a bit sandy in texture so if I was to make it again I think I'd just crush up the biscuits into smaller chunks as opposed to crumbs.

I also had more problems with Canadian whipping cream not whipping up as thick as it should for this dessert, and don't even get me started on the dulche de leche in this country - it tastes like mocha! 

All in all, I won't be recreating this dessert in a hurry (on this side of the pond) but if you live in a country where whipping cream actually does it's job and dulche de leche tastes like caramel then you need to make this dessert! It's one of my all time faves! 

Individual Peppermint Crisp Fridge Tarts:

Makes 4

From Cupcake Crazy Gem

2 packets of tennis biscuits (or other coconut flavoured biscuits), blended into crumbs

375g caramelised condensed milk/tinned dulche de leche

250ml whipping cream

20ml caster sugar

3 peppermint crisp bars, crushed

3 drops of peppermint extract

Blitz the tennis biscuits in a blender.

Whip the cream and stir in the caramel.  If you are using regular condensed milk, then boil the tin until it turns into caramel.  Stir in the caster sugar and peppermint extract to the caramel cream mixture.

Using a sharp knife, cut up the peppermint crisp bars into small pieces.  Stir 2/3 of the peppermint crisps into the cream mixture.  

Spoon some of the tennis biscuit crumbs into the bottom of your glasses.  Smooth out the surface.  Sprinkle some of the leftover peppermint crisp chunks on top of the biscuit base and layer some of the caramel cream mixture on top.  Smooth it out, and repeat with another biscuit layer and a final caramel cream layer.  

Finish off with a sprinkling of tennis biscuit crumbs and a sprinkling of peppermint crisp pieces.

Refrigerate for 3 hours until the cream is firm.

Eat and enjoy.

Triple Chocolate & Mint Choc Chip Layer Cake

So a few months back a couple of my friends from my course at uni suggested we should have a baking day of fun, a day where we would forget essays, lectures and dissertations, and just bake! 

I, of course, thought that sounded like an awesome idea! So we set a date, and just a few days before Sarah let slip that it was her birthday the day after our baking day of fun! How sneaky is that?! 

So naturally I had to bake her a cake! She was going to be miles from her home (back in Ireland) with none of her loved ones there to share it with her so we wanted to make a fuss of her and cake is always the best present I can think of!

A few days before we had been looking at my blog together in the computer rooms deciding what we should bake on our baking day.  Sarah had noticed the Peppermint Crisps I had used on my lamingtons and said she had tried them before when she'd visited Australia.  I subtly was trying to find out what her favourite flavours were, but she wasn't giving anything away, saying that she liked everything! 

So in the end I began with Peppermint Crisps as my inspiration and evolved them into a 3 layer chocolate cake, with layers of mint choc chip frosting in between, covered in choco-mint Aero frosting with Peppermint Crisp to decorate! 

Clearly my piping skills leave something to be desired! In the past month I have discovered piping candy melts makes for the best way to do wording on cakes, but this was piped before I made that discovery! 

Here's the birthday girl blowing out her candles! 

...and here's a slice of the cake so you can see inside! I used my absolutely favourite go to chocolate cake recipe because it always turns out so rich and moist.  The mint choc chip frosting paired well with the rich chocolatey layers of cake and the super smooth chocolate frosting with just a hint of mint from the melted Aero really brought the whole thing together! and I just love that stained glass like effect that the chopped up Peppermint Crisps on top add to the cake! 

Triple Chocolate & Mint Choc Chip Layer Cake
Serves 12-14
Adapted from Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery

For the cake:

230g good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids - I used Lindt)

170g unsalted butter, at room temperature

350g light soft brown sugar

3 large eggs, free range or organic, separated

370g plain flour, sifted

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

500ml semi skimmed milk, at room temperature

2 teaspoons good quality vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180 degrees c.

Break the choc into pieces and melt in 30 second intervals in a glass bowl in the microwave.  Set bowl aside to cool.

Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl for 3-5 minutes until the mix is pale and smooth.

Put the egg yolks in a separate bowl and beat them for several minutes, slowly add the egg yolks to the creamed butter and sugar and beat well. 

Add the cooled chocolate to this mixture and beat well again.

Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a separate bowl.  Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a jug.  Add one third of the flour to the creamed mixture and beat well.  Pour in one third of the milk and beat again.  Repeat these steps until all the flour and milk have been added.

In a clean bowl whisk the egg whites until soft peaks start to form.  Carefully fold the egg whites into the main batter using a metal spoon (Do not beat or you will take the air out of the mixture).  

Divide the mixture evenly between three 8" tins and bake for about 30 minutes.

Insert a skewer in the centre of one of the cakes, it should come out clean if cooked.  Leave to cool.

For the mint choc chip filling:

From Raspberri Cupcakes

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp peppermint extract

5 cups icing sugar

4 tbsp semi-skimmed milk

1 cup plain chocolate, chopped coarsely

a few drops of green food colouring

While the cake is cooling make the filling. 

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, vanilla and peppermint extract.

Add in the icing sugar one cup at a time, and then add in the milk, one tablespoon at a time until frosting is smooth and desired consistency has been reached.  It will be quite a soft frosting (not one that could be piped).

Stir in the food colouring (if desired) and then fold in the chocolate chips.

For the Mint Aero chocolate frosting:

Adapted from Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery

100g good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids - I used Lindt)

75g Mint Aero chocolate

225g unsalted butter, at room temp

1 tablespoon semi-skimmed milk, at room temp

1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract

250g icing sugar, sifted

Melt both chocolates in 30 second intervals in a glass bowl in the microwave until smooth.  Leave to cool slightly.  In a large mixing bowl beat the butter, milk, vanilla and icing sugar until smooth - this can take several minutes with an electric hand mixer.  

Add the melted chocolate and beat again until thick and creamy.  

To Assemble:

2 Peppermint Crisps

Spread a layer of mint choc chip filling on top of one of the chocolate cakes.

Stack another chocolate cake on top and add another layer of mint choc chip filling.

Put the final chocolate cake layer on top.  

Frost the sides and the top of the cake with the Mint Aero chocolate frosting.

Chop up Peppermint Crisps using a sharp knife.

Sprinkle the Peppermint Crisp crumbs around the top of the cake.

Pipe on your message.

South African Peppermint Crisp Fridge Tart...so good I made it twice!

This is the second time I have made this South African dessert, and I'm happy to say that this time I made it more authentic than the last time because now we're back in the UK there are South African shops all over where you can get Tennis biscuits from, and really if you're going to make this dessert and I hope you do because it's SO delicious then you're definitely going to want to try and do it right, coconut Tennis biscuits and all! 

Having said that there are South African shops all over, I had planned to go to one in Covent Garden a few weekends back that I have been to countless times over the years and when I got there I discovered it had closed down! Luckily, after some googling I discovered there was a little South African shop in an indoor market in the Stratford Mall and since I was heading to the new Westfield later in the day it fit into my plan quite well! So Randsavers saved the day!

 I made this dessert for my Zimbabwean mother-in-laws birthday dinner that we hosted for her that very evening so if it hadn't been for that shop I might have had to abandon the whole idea! 

This dessert combines coconut with caramel and peppermint in creamy, crunchy mouthfuls of deliciousness.   As we sat down to eat it the two other South Africans at the table requested seconds...and even thirds! It really is that good! 

I decided to make it even better this time around I would add a crushed up Tennis biscuits base and sides just to be fancy.  Note for next time: when trying to be fancy do not push out your loose bottomed cheesecake tin using a tin of condensed milk (it is not tall enough so your dessert will be stuck and if you're not careful your lovely biscuit sides will cave in like mine did!)

Peppermint Crisp Fridge Tart:

Serves 8 normal people, or 4 South African people! 

Adapted from Cook Sister

1 packet/200g Tennis biscuits

60g melted unsalted butter

250ml double cream (Orley Whip if you are in S.A)

397g Carnation Caramel, or if you're feeling brave you can boil a tin of condensed milk instead!

20g caster sugar

3 Peppermint Crisp bars, crushed

3 drops of good quality peppermint extract - I use this

1/2 packet/100g Tennis biscuits

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.

Grease an 8 inch loose bottomed cheesecake tin.

Crush Tennis biscuits using a food processor.  Melt butter in 30 second intervals in the microwave.  Mix the two together.  You should be able to roll a ball of the mix without it crumbling, if it is not at that consistency you will need to add a little more butter.

Press the biscuit mix into the bottom of the tin, using a tablespoon to press around the edges to ensure it is firm.  Take spoonfuls of the mix and press them around the edge of the tin until it is completely covered.  

Bake in the oven for approximately 10-12 minutes or until it starts to go firm.

Leave to cool.

Meanwhile, whip the cream until soft peaks form - you can do this in a stand mixer or using a handheld whisk.  Add the caramel, caster sugar and peppermint extract.  Beat until well mixed and then stir in 2/3 of the crushed peppermint crisp with a metal spoon.

Spoon a 1/3 of the caramel mix over the crushed biscuit base and spread evenly.  Add a layer of Tennis biscuits, then repeat with adding another 1/3 of the caramel mix.  Add another layer of Tennis biscuits and a final layer of caramel mix.  

Use your leftover crushed peppermint crisp to decorate the top. 

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Very carefully remove your tart from your tin! 

Eat and enjoy :)

Triple Mint Choc Chip Cookie Dough and Mint Oreo Brownies

I'm going to start this post with some bad news.  I feared it from the moment I baked my first batch of brownies in our new house...but I thought I'd wait and give our oven a few more chances to come around but there is no two ways about it - we have a bad oven!! It is WAY too hot and even if you drop the temp dramatically it still burns things on top and leaves them uncooked in the middle! but what do you do in this situation? It's hardly like at your initial viewing of a property you can pop in a quick batch of cupcakes to see if the oven is up to scratch is it! Although I wish I could have done that because I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have picked this house! seriously! dodgy ovens are my worst nightmare :( so if any of you have any tips on how I can improve my situation please share!

bad news aside, here's the good!

Remember when my sisters brought me back tons of amazing goodies from America! and I was saving my last packet of Mint Oreos for a super special recipe...well I think I just created that special recipe, with a little inspiration from this recipe! 

This recipe has been circulating pinterest for a while now, it has been on my 'to bake' list but I kept thinking making cookie dough and brownies in one go would be time consuming, not so! This recipe was actually relatively easy to whip up! and since I make my brownies in the saucepan once I've removed them from the heat I didn't even have to wash out my KitchenAid bowl to re use it - bonus! 

I decided to add some mint-spiration to this dish and instead of chocolate chips in the cookie dough I substituted them with Andes mint chips.  I used my Mint Oreos for the Oreo layer and then I sprinkled up some Peppermint Crisp bars on top of the brownie layer before it went in the oven to create some triple mint yumminess! If you don't know...Peppermint Crisps are chocolate bars that originate in South Africa and are one of my very fave choc bars ever!

Mint Choc Chip Cookie Dough & Oreo Brownies

(Makes 9)

Cookie dough:

1 stick/113g unsalted butter (at room temp)

1/2 cup caster sugar
3/8 cup light brown sugar (a full 1/4 cup and then a half 1/4 cup is how I did it!)
1 large egg
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Andes Mint Chips
9 Mint Oreo cookies
Brownie mix: 
112g milk chocolate
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 large eggs (or 90g)
1/4 cup plain flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 Peppermint Crisp bar

Preheat all your normal ovens out there to 180 degrees C.
Grease your baking dish with butter.  I used an 8x8 dish.

For the cookie dough: Cream the butter and both sugars in an electric mixer for 3-5 mins.  Add the egg and vanilla and mix well to thoroughly combine. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, soda and salt  and slowly add it into the mixer until the flour is just combined.  Stir in the mint chips.
Spread the dough in the bottom of your dish.

Layer it with 9 Mint Oreos or if you have unlimited access to Mint Oreos go ahead and use 16 - I could have fit that amount in but I wanted to use mine sparingly as once they're gone they're gone!

For the brownies: Melt milk chocolate with butter over heat.  Remove from heat and whisk in the sugar and salt.  Whisk in the eggs.  Gently whisk in the flour and cocoa until just combined.  Pour over the Oreo layer.

Sprinkled your crushed up peppermint crisp bar for just an extra hint of mint!
Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Make sure when you eat these you do so with copious amounts of ice cream! They are crazy rich but in a very good way! and I was surprised at how well the mint element worked, it wasn't overpowering at all but for all you mint lovers out there it was just right! chocolatey, gooey, minty deliciousness! Certainly not a dessert for the faint hearted but if it's a cold windy evening and you want to snuggle up with the one you love on the sofa and be kept warm by a yummy pudding then this is the one to make!