Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
1/2 tsp peppermint essence
7oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate, broken into pieces
4tbs toasted desiccated (dried) coconut

Equipment
Large baking tray
Sugar thermometer
Pestle and mortar or bowl and rolling pin
Non stick baking paper - 12ins x 10ins (30cm x 25cm)

Method

1. Grease a large baking tray.

2. Using a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the sugar and water together, stirring to prevent it sticking, until the sugar has dissolved.

3. Turn up the heat and boil without stirring. Use a sugar (candy) thermometer and continue to boil until the temperature is 280 deg F (137 deg C).

4. Take off the cooker and add the peppermint essence. Stir it through the mixture.

5. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking tray and leave until it is complete set.

6. To get the crispy peppermint bits, now break up the peppermint crisp into pieces. Now you can use a pestle and mortar or a bowl and the end of a rolling pin to break up the peppermint into tiny bits but don't keep going until it is dust!

7. Melt the chocolate, then stir in the peppermint bits and coconut. Spread out the non stick baking paper on a worktop or on a baking tray, then spread the mixture on it in a rectangular shape. Go to about 2ins of the edges of the paper.

8. Leave it to set. When it has set, cut it into thin, short sticks or small squares.

Copyright © 2005 - Sylvie Fisher