South African Peppermint Crisp Tart

This Peppermint Crisp tart was first shared with us by South African Kate Jack for the crowd-sourced post Christmas Desserts Around the World. I was making and photographing over a dozen desserts for that post, so I hurriedly made the iconic South African dessert with a sad set of substitutions that I could find here in the US.

Even with my subpar attempt, my family loved the creamy dessert so much they stood around the island and ate it with spoons straight from that dish!

Later, Kate joined for me for an interview all about Christmas traditions in South Africa. 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 memories surrounding Peppermint Crisp Tart, her aunt's traditional recipe, and as much information I could muster on how to make this South African favorite in North America, where few of the ingredients are readily available.

Classic Ingredients for Peppermint Crisp Tart AND Substitution Options

Peppermint Crisp Bar

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, its 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 (which I did pay) at World Market.

Peppermint Crisp Substitute Option 1: Peppermint Aero bars

Lots of people in the UK or New Zealand recommend these as an easier-to-find alternative. I have never seen this in grocery stores in the US, but you can fin 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, you could always break this up for the layers and to garnish the top of the tart.

Peppermint Crisp Substitute Option 3: Chocolate and hard peppermint candy

The final idea is to take chocolate and cheap mints available everywhere and give them a quick chop in the food processor.

Nestle Caramel Treat OR
Caramelized Condensed Milk OR
Nestle Dulce de Leche

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, which is widely available in the US.

Although this approach to making caramel was a revelation to me, I talked to Kate at length about this approach and confirmed it in lots of places. Details are below - it can be dangerous if not cooled properly, so please read carefully.

Dulce de leche: Nestle Dulce de Leche is available at Walmart and other stores and seems to be the storebought version of boiled sweetened condensed milk.

Orley Whip

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 this into soft peaks

Orley Whip Substitute Option 2: Cool Whip

A dairy free option readily available in American grocery stores, this option 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.

Coconut Tennis Biscuits

These South African Tennis Biscuits are fairly affordable on Amazon here in the U.S.

If you don't prefer to get them there, Leibniz cookies have a similar taste and texture, although they do not have a coconut version

Peppermint Crisp Pudding FAQ

This seems like a very sweet recipe. Is there a way to make it not so sweet?

Well, yes, sweet is the goal with this one. You can mute that a little by choosing bittersweet or bitter chocolate along with mints to replace the Peppermint Crisp bar. You could also use unsweetened whipped cream. Finally, you could choose biscuits with very little sugar in them. But all in all, if you don't want a sweet dessert, this probably isn't the one for you!

What 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.

I can't tell if I do a layer of caramel and then a layer of cream on top or mix the two into one layer?

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 African - and the same reason why its popular in New Zealand.

What should I do if a single layer of whole tennis biscuits doesn't cover my pan?

Simply cut them to fit with a serrated knife.

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 an 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

Episode 146: Christmas in South Africa

Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player