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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. I was making and photographing over a dozen desserts for that post, so I hurriedly made the iconic South African dessert though I had to find many substitutions since the ingredients that are common in South African households are hard to find here.
Even with my subpar attempt, my family loved the creamy dessert so much that they stood around the island and ate it with spoons straight from that dish!
Later, Kate joined 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 as I could muster on how to make this South African favorite in North America, where few of the ingredients are readily available.
Top Tips
- Don't crush your biscuits! You want to have a single layer of whole tennis biscuits for each section of your fridge tart instead of fine crumbs from crushed biscuits.
- Take the time to refrigerate your Peppermint Tart. It is best to leave the tart in the refrigerator overnight before eating it making the biscuits soft for serving.
Ingredients With US Substitutions
Many of the ingredients in this Peppermint Crisp Fridge Tart can only be found in South African shops or can be purchased on Amazon or other online platforms. It is pretty expensive ($21 for 6 candy bars) so I have tried to find the best substitutes that are available to us based in the US so that we can enjoy this no bake fridge tart without breaking the bank.
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 (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 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, you could always break this up for the layers and garnish the top of the tart.
Peppermint Crisp Substitute Option 3: Chocolate and hard peppermint candy
The final idea is to make chocolate and cheap mints available everywhere (found mine on Amazon) and give them a quick chop in the food processor. The chopped peppermint and chocolate emulates the peppermint crisp well.
Nestle Caramel Treat & 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, 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.
Nestle Caramel Treat Substitute Option
Nestle Dulce de Leche is available at Walmart and other stores and seems to be the store-bought version of boiled sweetened condensed milk.
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 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 & 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
If you don't prefer to get them there, Leibniz cookies have a similar taste and texture, although they do not have coconut biscuits.
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 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:
- Choose a dish.
- Layer biscuits to cover the bottom.
- Add a layer of caramel, then a layer of cream (or mix both for a single layer).
- Sprinkle with crushed peppermint crisps.
- 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 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!
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.
More African Recipes
More Christmas Desserts From Around The World Recipes
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
Episode 146: Christmas in South Africa
Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player
Recipe
Peppermint Crisp Tart
Ingredients
- 3 cans Sweetened condensed milk OR Nestle Caramel Treat
- 3 packets Coconut tennis biscuits OR similar biscuits
- 1 cup (250 mL) Heavy whipping cream, lightly beaten into soft peaks OR 1 container Cool Whip
- 6 bars Nestle Peppermint Crisp Chocolate OR Peppermint Bark OR Peppermint candies ground with Semi-sweet chocolate
Instructions
Cue Up The Episode!
- Make sure to 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.
Make The Recipe
Make the Peppermint Crisp Bar
- If you can't find Nestle Peppermint Crisp Bars or Peppermint Aero Bars, you have two choices.
- You can make Peppermint Bark.
- Alternatively, an easier approach would be to take Peppermint candies and semi-sweet chocolate and toss them in the food processor for a few pulses.
- A similar approach would be to take a rolling pin to a bag of candies and grate the chocolate.
Make the caramel
- Remove the paper, especially the glue from the cans of sweetened condensed milk.
- Fill a pot with water and place cans inside the pot.
- Boil for 3 hours.
- This is very important: Let the caramel cool 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
- Pour one cup (250mL) of whipping cream into a glass bowl.
- Mix on high until the cream is light, airy, and spoonable. Peaks should hold just softly.
Make the Tart
- Choose your vessel depending on how many layers you'd like in your tart. Kate's aunt, who contributed to this recipe, used two bread tins. Others choose a 9x13 Pyrex pan. Still others choose individual serving glasses. If you choose bread pans, line them with plastic to help get the pudding out of the tin.
- 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.
- Add a layer of caramel.
- Add a layer of cream.
- OR you may first mix the caramel and cream to make one layer.
- Then a layer of broken peppermint crisps.
- Repeat as desired, and according to the size of your container.
- Place in a fridge overnight and then can be frozen until needed. Defrost in the fridge before serving.
- To serve: tip out onto a serving dish, and decorate with glace cherries.
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.
Victoria Ramela says
Love the Traditional Christmas Desserts