It’s been a little while since I’ve shared a recipe,but as it’s currently summer school holidays in the UK, I wanted to create something fun, easy and delicious to make with kids (yours or someone else’s) over the break.
It includes one of my favourite chocolate combinations: chocolate and peanut butter. I’ve very creatively called it my Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Summer Slice. As the name suggests there’s no real cooking or baking involved. You just need to melt up the chocolate and cocoa butter, then stir everything else through.
I’ve suggested using around 70% cocoa dark chocolate in the recipe, but given some of the other sweet ingredients you could definitely go all the way up to 100% cocoa if you like darker chocolate.
You can also play around with what ingredients you have in the cupboard, substituting different dried fruits or nuts for the seeds. Toasted sesame seeds would also be a lovely addition. And if you like a bit of spice, a judicious sprinkle of dried chilli powder or a few chilli flakes are also very tasty.
Have fun and get creative!
Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Summer Slice
Makes approx 20 pieces
125g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa of above (I used Pump St Chocolate 75% Jamaica)
50g cocoa butter, chopped or in small buttons
75g crunchy peanut butter (try to go for additive free if you can; I use Organic Meridian Crunchy)
125g dried apricots, roughly chopped into smallish pieces
50g pumpkin seeds
25g desiccated coconut
25g cacao nibs (chop them up a little if they are chunky)
1/4 tsp sea salt flakes
1. Line a 2lb/900g loaf tin with greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Leave the paper hanging just over the edge of the tin so you can fold it back over the slice while it’s setting.
2. Roughly chop the dark chocolate and pop it in a bowl with the cocoa butter. Put the bowl over a saucepan of just simmering water on the hob (you want to avoid the bowl touching the water as it may scald the chocolate). Leave it to sit for a few minutes so that the cocoa butter starts to melt and then stir the melting chocolate and cocoa butter together. Keeping doing this until the chocolate and cocoa butter have completely melted and the mix is totally smooth and shiny.
3. Take the bowl off the heat and dry the bottom. Add the peanut butter and stir it through so that the chocolate and peanut butter are nicely combined. You may need to smoosh the peanut butter against the side of the bowl a few times as you stir so that it mixes in.
4. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir everything together. You ideally want all the ingredients evenly spread through the chocolate.
5. Pour the mix into your prepared loaf tin, smoothing it out with your spoon and pushing it right into the corners of the tin. Lightly fold the baking parchment in across the top of the slice to give it a bit of protection and then pop the tin in the fridge for an hour until the chocolate has set and is firm.
6. Once the slice is set, lift it out of the tin using the baking parchment sides and put in on a chopping board. Using a sharp knife (briefly run under hot water and wiped dry) slice the chocolate into about 1cm thick slices and then slice these in half. You’ll need to run the knife under the tap a few times to help cut clean slices – and if any little bits fall off as you cut, I suggest eating them then and there over the chopping board, not standing on ceremony.
Store your slices in the fridge or a cool cupboard in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
The slice is a lovely alternative to pudding or are very tasty with a cup of tea as the warmth of the tea will quickly melt the chocolate in your mouth. And maybe on your fingers too!
