Peppermint Crisp Tart

Peppermint crisp tart is a seriously more-ish fridge tart flavored with caramel, peppermint crisp, and Tennis biscuits. This no-bake fridge tart is a firm favorite in many South African households.

The South African Peppermint Crisp Tart is a fridge tart that will satisfy anyone's sweet tooth. This tart is made using a caramel treat (thick, spreadable dulce de leche or caramel condensed milk), peppermint crisp chocolates, cream (or Orley Whip), and tennis biscuits.

This quick and easy peppermint crisp tert can be made in one large casserole dish or in individual portions.

Equipment

This recipe requires a few mixing bowls, a handheld electric mixer or stand mixer, and a square (9 inches or 23cm) or similar-sized dish.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Cream - a heavy or whipping cream, has approximately 35-37% milk fat. This can be substituted with Orley Whip (South African product) which is a non-dairy creamer that mimics cream.

Heavy Cream or Orley Whip: Heavy or whipping cream, that has approximately 35 to 37% milk fat. Or Orley Whip, which is a South African non-dairy creamer that mimics cream. This is how I originally made our homemade peppermint crisp tert.

Peppermint Crisp is the chocolate that is traditionally used in this dessert and gives it that delicious minty flavor. Peppermint crisps (invented in the 1960s in South Africa) consist of a bright green crispy minty filling that is enrobed in milk chocolate. These chocolates can usually be found in the international food aisle, from specialty South African shops around the globe. There is also an Australian version of this chocolate which can usually be found in New Zealand and Australian Woolworths.

Aero mint is a great alternative to peppermint crisps. But I think any one of your favorite mint chocolate bars could work.

Alternative to peppermint crisp or aero mint, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of peppermint or spearmint extract into the cream mixture, paired with a Cadbury flake or similar type of chocolate.

Caramel: caramel treat/caramel condensed milk or dulce de leche. This is folded into the cream and gives this rich dessert its heavenly caramel flavor.

Caramel can be made by cooking a can of condensed milk at high pressure. I like to pop an undented tin into my Crockpot Multi-Cooker and cook at high pressure for 30 minutes. Place the tin on the multi-cooker trivet and cover it completely with water, not exceeding the max water line (you may need to lie the tin on its side), with the pressure valve closed, and set it to high pressure for 30 minutes. After which, turn off the pot and allow the steam to release naturally. Allow the tin to cool completely (preferably overnight) before opening. BE CAREFUL...hot sugar will result in really bad burns.

Tennis biscuits (also sold by South African shops) and thin square coconut tea biscuits. These can be substituted with any coconut tea biscuit such as Nice biscuits. Or with any plain vanilla biscuit. You can also sprinkle about ⅓ of a cup of toasted desiccated coconut on top of the biscuit layers to mimic the coconut flavor.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1 - Place the caramel treat in a bowl and mix with a spoon or fork to loosen up the caramel. Set aside.

NOTE- sometimes your caramel will not cooperate and there will still be small pieces of harder caramel after mixing - this is fine. This dessert is very forgiving, and small chunks (like 2-3mm big) of caramel within the cream are like finding a golden nugget.

NOTE- You can add a teaspoon or two of lemon juice to the caramel before mixing it. I learned this from a friend way back in my days at University, when we were making pancakes and decided that caramel would be a great filling.

Step 2 - Whip the heavy cream to the stiff peak stage. Take 2 - 3 spoonfuls of the whipped cream and mix it into the caramel to loosen the caramel up even further before adding to the cream. Fold the caramel into the cream.

NOTE - I sometimes cheat and "fold" the caramel in by mixing it using the lowest setting on my stand mixer.

Step 3 - Grate or break one of the peppermint crisp bars into the cream mixture and fold through. Or alternatively, you can break or grate the first bar over the first layer of caramel in the step below.

Step 4 - Line the bottom of a dish with a layer of tennis biscuits. Spread about half of the cream mixture over the tennis biscuits. Add another layer of tennis biscuits and top with the second half of the cream mixture. Smooth over using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula. Sprinkle the top of the tart with the second peppermint crisp tart. Allow the tart to set in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.

Making Individual Puddings

This pudding can also be made into individual peppermint crisp puddings (or deconstructed peppermint crisp tarts) in either glasses or small bowls, mugs, or jars. Follow the instructions to make the caramel-cream filling.

Roughly crush the biscuits, and cut or break the peppermint crisp or aero mint.

In your pudding glass or bowl of choice, layer the crushed biscuits, caramel cream, and mint chocolate in any order that you wish. I like to layer it - biscuit, cream, chocolate, and repeat. Set these in the fridge for a few hours until overnight.

The amount of individual portions depends on the pudding dishes of choice. But I have made about 16 small individual puddings. Keep in mind that the volume of the caramel cream will determine the amount of the servings. I really like to beat my cream to stiff peaks and gently fold the caramel in to keep as much of the volume as possible.

Storage and Freezing

Store this tart in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Or Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

I highly recommend freezing this dessert. When I am making a batch of this tart to store as a frozen dessert, I fold through the crushed packet of biscuits. Then I spoon the mixture into a glass dish (which has a plastic lid) and pop it in the freezer. Before serving you may need to rest the delicious frozen tart at room temperature to soften it up a bit before serving.