I have absolutely no idea where the name came from for these, but I guess they would be good for a picnic providing its not so hot that the chocolate base melts. There isnt loads of chocolate in these, but they are one of my favourites and still have a choclate element so I thought they warranted being on here. I also get asked a lot for this recipe when I make them, so here it is...
350g/12oz Chocolate (Dark choc contrasts well with the sweet coconut)
100g/3oz Butter
200g/6oz Caster sugar
2 Beaten eggs
200g/6oz Dessicated coconut
100g/3oz Sultanas
100g/3oz Glace cherries, quartered
1. Break chocolate into pieces and melt using your preferred method for doing this.
2. Line a standard sized (12"x 9" or 31cm x 23cm) baking tray with greaseproof paper and pour in chocolate. Make sure the chocolate is relatively evenly spread and comes slightly up the sides as this will help when getting the whole thing out later. Leave to set in fridge while you make the filling.
3. Cream butter and sugar together then add beaten egg.
4. Add all dry ingredients (coconut, sultanas and cherries) and mix well.
5. Spread the mix over the set chocolate and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350F, 180C or Gas 4.
6. Once it no longer wobbles and the top is browned slightly, leave to cool completely before cutting into squares (as big or as small as you like - see notes below).
Notes -
1 - These are dangerously addictive. I try to get the balance of square size right and contemplate the following:
a. cut big squares and you get a satisfying sized portion.
b. cut smaller squares or rectangles and you can sneak one out of your cake tin without it being noticed.
c. If they are cut small, you can possibly sneak a second and still no one would be none the wiser!!!
2 - These keep quite well for a week or so, but any longer and they can start to dry out a little.
11 comments:
exactly the same recipe I was recently given my by great aunt, they are so tasty, remind me of family and church parties when I was a kid.
I also tried adding pieces of dried apricot which really worked well, I wonder if it came from some really old recipe book your grandmother and my great aunt got it from, they both use the same name and the recipe she gave me was pretty much step by step the same as yours.
i have tried your recipe,it has turn out lovely apart from im getting a bitter after taste from the chocolate ,any advice thank you kiki
My son needed to do a school project about a favourite family recipe and he chose to do it on Picnic Slice. I just searched online for the recipe and found your blog. It made me giggle to read the comment that this reminds someone of Church parties. The Picnic Slice I prepare (in exactly the same way as you) is made from a recipe in my Mum's Passover Cookery Book! She made it every year especially for Passover (there is no flour in it, so the cake does not rise, making it suitable for Passover) and I continue to do so. I'd also love to know where the name comes from.
I promised to make this for a trip this coming weekend and couldn't find my recipe. My first click on google. Thank you
Our family has made picnic slices for 50 years after my sister got the recipe from an older work colleague (I have only ever heard of people getting the recipe by word of mouth). Only variations we sometimes make on the above recipe are coconut oil instead of butter and demerara sugar instead of caster. Apart from family and friend it has been made for generations of work colleagues, school and church fetes/socials. It always brings many requests for the recipe. I can not understand why no one has produced it commercially for the supermarkets.
I have been searching for a recipe like this for ages but didn't know what it was called - all I could remember was making coconut cherry slices with a chocolate base in a cookery class 50 years ago, much loved by the family but the recipe got lost or thrown away on a move about 40 years ago so, thank you very much, search over.
I have just finished making yet another batch for my grandchildren and the big children of course.
I got to thinking about my family history of picnic slices and googled it to see if it existed elsewhere.
I'm 60 (+ a bit, my mother (born 1930's) wrote this recipe out when I first married, just as her mother (born 1900) did when she married, just as her mother (born 1870's) verbally did when she married.
As a young girl I remember my Great Grandmother telling me of her years In Service but nothing regarding where she got recipe; maybe it was 'borrowed' from a great house cook. Not sure if chocolate and coconut were within the means of most folk.
It is truly scrumptious
Had some at a garden centre today. It brought back memories of when I made it for my children. Could not find a recipe until clicking on yours. Going to make it today with my grand daughter!
This is exactly the same recipe as my late Mother in Law made. It was 20 years last week since she passed away. Unfortunately she passed awaY BEGore my youngest Son was born. He has My Son been learning to cook, with me. Last night he baked the recipe himself, to give to his Dad on Father's Day. it brought back so many memories. Suspect his Dad will have a tear in his eye tomorrow!
I’ve been making these for around 50 years. My mother got the recipe off the Jimmy Young radio show - everybody loves them.
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