South African Peppermint Crisp Tart (with Substitution Ideas)

Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love. 

This recipe for South African Peppermint Crisp Fridge Tart came from my podcast guest, Kate Jack. Make sure you listen to her episode Christmas in South Africa while you make her South African Peppermint Crisp Tart!   

This Peppermint Crisp Tart was shared by South African Kate Jack for the crowd-sourced post, Christmas Desserts Around the World. In that interview, we discussed at length the exact ingredients South Africans use in this tasty dessert and how to properly substitute for them here in the U.S.

In this post, I'm sharing Kate's family's traditional recipe made with South African pantry ingredients AND all the substitutions you need to make this South African favorite in the UK or North America.

Top Tip

Ingredients With US Substitutions

Many of the ingredients in this Peppermint Crisp Fridge Tart can only be found in South African shops or purchased on Amazon or other online platforms for a high price. In this section, I include pictures of BOTH the typical ingredients AND substitutions readily available to those based in the US or UK.

1) Peppermint Crisp Bar & Substitutions

The recipe is named for this milk chocolate bar with bright green hard candy in the center. When looking to substitute for this peppermint crisp chocolate bar, it is important to get both textures: You'll need chunks of chocolate grated on top (and in the layers) as well as hard peppermint candy (green if you want to be as authentic as possible). Here are a couple of approaches you can take:

The Nestle Peppermint Crisp bars are available at a premium price (which I couldn't bring myself to pay) on Amazon and for a much more reasonable price at World Market.

Peppermint Crisp Substitute Option 1: Peppermint Aero bars

Lots of people in the UK or New Zealand recommend Peppermint Aero Bars as an easier-to-find alternative. I have never seen this in grocery stores in the US, but you can find them on Amazon, only slightly more reasonably priced than the Nestle bars

Peppermint Crisp Substitute Option 2: Peppermint Bark

Since Peppermint bark has both chocolate and hard, cool chunks of peppermint candy, I used 200g of semisweet mini chocolate chips and 100g of starlight mints to make a small recipe of peppermint bark.

Peppermint Crisp Substitute Option 3: Chocolate and hard peppermint candy

The final idea is to use chocolate and cheap mints available everywhere and give them a quick chop in the food processor. The chopped spearmint (or peppermint) candies and chocolate emulates the peppermint crisp well.

2) Coconut Tennis Biscuits & Substitutions

A reminder for those of us in the United States, biscuits or digestive biscuits simply means a crunchy, snappy cookie, like a ginger snap. These South African Tennis Biscuits are fairly affordable on Amazon here in the U.S.

Coconut Tennis Biscuit Substitute Option

Leibniz Butter Biscuits have a similar taste and texture, although they do not have coconut. I like that they're not overly sweet.

2) Nestle Caramel Treat, Dulce de Leche, & Substitutions

Many Peppermint Crisp Fridge Tart recipes call for this Nestle Caramel Treat, which is popular in South Africa.

However, for Americans, the good news about the caramel layer (which you may or may not choose to mix with whipped cream) is that Kate's Aunt Audrey says the specialty product is actually less than optimal. Her preferred approach is to make the caramel layer by boiling Sweetened Condensed Milk for 3 hours, creating Dulce de Leche.

Details are below - it can be dangerous if not cooled properly, so please read carefully.

Nestle Caramel Treat

Nestle Caramel Treat Substitution Option One

Nestle Dulce de Leche is available at Walmart and other U.S. stores.

Homemade Dulce de Leche from Sweetened Condensed Milk

Strip the paper and clue off a can of sweetened condensed milk, submerge in water, and boil for 3 hours. The result is Dulce de Leche.

3) Orley Whip & Substitutions

Once again, here's another product that is completely unknown to me from my little kitchen right outside Washington DC. From my research, Orley Whip is a dairy-free liquid that whips into something resembling whipped cream. There are two easy alternatives in American grocery stores.

Orley Whip Substitute Option 1: Fresh Whipping Cream (or Heavy Cream, Double Cream)

Use an electric hand mixer or whisk attachment on a stand mixer to beat heavy cream or double cream into soft peaks.

Orley Whip Substitute Option 2: Cool Whip

Cool Whip is a dairy-free option readily available in American grocery stores, and is a little sturdier than whipped cream - plus, it's already mixed. Cool Whip is much sweeter than plain whipped cream, so if you choose this option, you may want to consider minimizing the sweet factor in your other options.

Instructions

Peppermint Bark

• If you are using a substitution for Peppermint Crisp chocolate bars as detailed above in the section "Peppermint Crisp Substitutions", make a peppermint bark with your crushed peppermints and chocolate.

Make the Caramel

• Place unopened cans of sweetened condensed milk without the labels in a pot, cover with water, and boil for 3 hours.
• Allow cans to cool completely before opening.

Whip the Cream:

• Whip fresh cream until soft peaks form.

Assemble the Tart:

1. Choose a dish. 
2. Layer biscuits to cover the bottom.
3. Add a layer of caramel, then a layer of cream (or mix both for a single layer).
4. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint crisps.
5. Repeat layers of biscuits, whipped cream, and caramel as desired.

Peppermint Crisp Pudding FAQ

Is There A Way to Make It Not So Sweet?

Sweet IS the goal with Peppermint Crisp Fridge Tart. If you don't want a sweet dessert, this probably isn't the one for you! However, you can mute that a little:

1. Choosing bittersweet or bitter chocolate along with mints to replace the Peppermint Crisp bar.
2. Use whipping cream and do not sweeten it.
3. Choose biscuits with very little sugar in them.

Which Container Should I Choose?

You've got lots of options here!

It depends if you're going for something practical or visually stunning. The easiest option is a Pyrex container, 7x11 for multiple layers or 9x13 for just one layer of each ingredient.

You can go for something a little fancier, like a trifle bowl, or this rectangular vase that I chose if you're making this dessert for a special occasion.

Finally, for an extra fancy presentation, you can create individual servings in clear jam jars or wine goblets. In this case, you'll probably have to crush/crumble the biscuits for the cookie layer.

Mix The Caramel and Whipped Topping Together Or Not?

Totally your choice! You can create a caramel and cream mixture using a rubber spatula to mix the two together, or you can simply layer one on top of the other.

Personally, I find that the mixed layer is slightly easier to spread.

How Long Does It Take To Bake This South African Treat?

This is a no-bake dessert! The cold, creamy, frozen nature of the tart is what makes it one of the traditional recipes for the hot summer Christmas in Kate's home country of South Africa - and the same reason why it's popular in New Zealand.

What If A Single Layer Of Whole Tennis Biscuits Doesn't Fit In My Pan?

Simply cut them to fit with a serrated knife.

Equipment List

• Food processor (optional)
• Rolling pin (optional)
• Large pot
• Pyrex OR trifle bowl OR rectangular vase OR jam jars OR wine goblets
• Mixing bowl

Storage

• Best if chilled overnight in the fridge before eating, it can be refrigerated for up to 5 days but be aware that the cookies might completely dissolve into mush if refrigerated for that long.
• This dessert can be frozen for up to 6 months. Defrost in the fridge before serving.

Kate's Memories of Peppermint Crisp Pudding and Christmas

My granny was one of 7 children. While everyone in her generation has now died, the cousins and siblings and children and grandchildren still meet on Christmas day. Neighbors and friends are also always welcome. 

One year a number of the older generation had died. A cousin asked her father before Christmas day... 'Dad, I don't mean to be crass, but what if the person who made the 

peppermint crisp pudding has died this year?!' Fortunately, the recipe is shared by a number of people in the family, including my Aunt Audrey who shared this recipe.

She has now moved to Australia, so now my sister makes it. My aunt is a wonderful cook, who also makes the best fudge ever! My sister now likes to set up an assembly line to create the dessert, complete with chopping boards to cut the biscuits to fit the tin, and a damp cloth to wipe sticky fingers.

Listen to Kate's Episode: Christmas in South Africa

Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player

More Christmas Desserts From Around The World Recipes

Recipe

Peppermint Crisp Tart

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4.8 from 14 reviews

• Total Time: 12 hours 20 minutes
• Yield: 12 servings 1x

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Description

Peppermint Crisp Tart (or pudding) is a dessert made from South African pantry ingredients. It can be made in advance and frozen, then defrosted into creamy deliciousness. This recipe includes US or UK substitutions for tennis biscuits, Orley whip, caramel treat, and peppermint crisp tart.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cans (14oz, 396g) sweetened condensed milk OR Nestle Caramel Treat OR Nestle Dulce de Leche
• 1 packet (7oz, 200g) coconut tennis biscuits OR Leibniz cookies
• 2 cup (500g) heavy whipping cream, lightly beaten into soft peaks OR 16oz Cool Whip, defrosted.
• 6 bars Nestle Peppermint Crisp Chocolate OR 200g bittersweet chocolate
• 100g green mints

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Instructions

Cue Up The Episode!

Make sure to listen to Kate's episode of the Storied Recipe Podcast, "Christmas in South Africa" while you make this dessert! 

Make The Recipe

Prepare the Peppermint Crisp Bar

1. Crush the Peppermint Crisp or Aero bar by placing bars in a Ziploc bag and crushing with a rolling pin.
2. If you can't find Nestle Peppermint Crisp Bars or Peppermint Aero Bars, you have at least 3 choices.
   1. Make peppermint bark. Begin by placing mints in a Ziploc bag, then crushing them with a rolling pin. Melt chocolate in microwave in 20 or 30 second intervals. Place parchment paper in a cookie sheet. Pour melted chocolate onto parchment paper and spread in a thin layer. Cover with crushed mints. Place in fridge for at least 60 minutes or until firm.
   2. An easier approach would be to take Peppermint candies and semi-sweet chocolate and toss them in the food processor for a few pulses.
   3. A similar approach would be to take a rolling pin to a bag of candies and grate the chocolate.

Prepare the Caramel or Dulce de Leche

1. If using Sweetened Condensed Milk to make the Dulce de Leche (See Note 1), remove the paper, especially the glue from the cans of sweetened condensed milk. It is very important to remove the glue, otherwise your pot will have a ring of sticky residue that is very difficult to remove later.
2. Fill a pot with water and place cans inside the pot.
3. Boil for 3 hours, replacing water if necessary so that the cans remain submerged.
4. Very important: Let the caramel cool completely before opening the tin. This may take several hours or overnight. You can speed up the cooling process by putting the can in cold water.

Whip the Cream

1. Pour two cups (496mL) of whipping cream into a glass bowl.
2. Mix on high until the cream is light and airy. Peaks should hold just softly.

Make the Tart

1. Choose your vessel depending on how many layers you'd like in your tart, from a 9x13 pan, a bread pan, a decorative container, a trifle bowl, or individual serving glasses. If you want to remove the tart from the pan for serving, line them with plastic to help remove the pudding.
2. Place a layer of biscuits along the pan. If they don't fit, use a serrated knife to cut them to cover the pan in one layer.
3. Add a layer of caramel.
4. Add a layer of cream.
5. OR you may first mix the caramel and cream to make one layer.
6. Then a layer of broken peppermint crisps.
7. Repeat as desired, and according to the size of your container.
8. Place in a fridge overnight. Can be frozen until needed. If you will be displaying the tart outside of its pan, you'll have to freeze it before removing it. Defrost in the fridge for several hours, until whipped cream softens, before serving.
9. Garnish however you'd like with any combination of chopped mints, drizzled caramel, mini chocolate chips, and/or fresh mint.

Notes

• Please listen to Kate's episode of the Storied Recipe Podcast while you make this dessert! Episode 146: Christmas Desserts From Around the World Series, Episode 3 Christmas in South Africa.
• *For Caramel Condensed Milk, you need to purchase the can that is pre-caramelized. Don’t buy normal condensed milk unless you are going to caramelize it yourself.
• Nestle Aero Peppermint Bar is recommended, but you may use any substitute.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Christmas, Dessert
• Cuisine: British, South African

Nutrition

• Calories: 389
• Sugar: 55
• Sodium: 133
• Fat: 16
• Saturated Fat: 10
• Carbohydrates: 55
• Fiber: 0.1
• Protein: 8
• Cholesterol: 56