Peanut Crunch Slice

It's an overcast Sunday, my fluffy slippers are on and the heater is churning away.  "True" Canberrans may try and hold out until ANZAC Day (25 April) before switching on the heating but I say bah humbug to them!  It was cold when I got up!

There really is something to be said for pottering around in PJs and slippers on a Sunday, sipping some coffee (with the heating on) and tapping away at the computer.  This post is the product of a similarly lazy Sunday when I felt the need to see what kind of a slice I could make entirely from the contents of my pantry.  You see I have an overly well-stuffed pantry and with my impending departure date for Europe three months away, I need to get through some of the items I have hoarded during my sojourn in Canberra.  And so the Peanut Crunch Slice was born.

This recipe is based on the original Peanut Crunch Slice recipe in the unglamorous but classic (and ever reliable) Nursing Mother's Association of Australia Cookbook.  Like many of the truly excellent cooking books on my shelves, this was given to me by my mum when I was just started to get interested in cooking (aka when I moved out of home and could no longer rely on Mum to feed me!).  It has no photos whatsoever, the simplest of 1980s fluro orange covers and features classics such as "Pumpkin Fruit Cake", "Simplicity Chocolate Cake" (my go-to basic chocolate cake recipe), "Tipsy Cake" and "Prune Snow".  I really need to use it more!

At any rate, I used the recipe as a base, jazzing it up with slivered almonds and shredded coconut in addition to the salted peanuts specified in the cookbook.  It turned out beautifully - the perfect mix of crunch, sweetness and saltiness.  It chops into neat squares that transport easily, which make it a great treat to give as a gift or take to work for a morning tea.

Peanut Crunch Slice

Ingredients

Slice
- 185 grams butter (unsalted), melted
- 40 grams salted peanuts
- 20 grams slivered almonds
- 1 cup self raising flour
- 1 cup shredded coconut (you can substitute all or part with shaved coconut)
- 50 grams roughly chopped dark chocolate

Icing
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon cocoa
- 1 1/2 tablespoons hot water

Start by preheating the oven to 180 degrees Celcius.  Line a slice baking tin (long with low sides of approximately 1 inch in height) with baking paper.

Melt the butter and mix through all the other ingredients for the slice in a mixing bowl.  Press the mixture into the prepared slice tin and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.  Remove and let it cool before you go any further.

When the slice is cooled, it's time to make the icing.  In a medium-sized bowl mix the icing sugar, cocoa and hot water together.  Pour over the cooked slice, spreading it until it covers the slice.  Allow to set and then use a sharp knife to slice it into squares of whatever size you fancy.