Back in the day I had been known, when feeling slack, to delve into the realm of packet mixes. I know, slap me on the wrist.

One day, my husband Paul decided that he wanted me to make hedgehog slice. So off we went to the shops ready to get all the ingredients, but as we were cruising down the baking isle he spotted a packet mix for the slice. He told me I should save myself the trouble and just use  a packet mix. I tried to talk him out of it but no, he wanted the packet mix because the picture on front looked soooooo amazing. So I gave in.

You know those Pinterest fails that are going around the internet? Yes? Well it basically turned out like that! My guess is at the time we got it, it must have been out of date because what it turned out as was anything but the delicious hedgehog slice shown on the packet! It resembled tar. No joke, and it didn’t taste much better either!

So from that day forward I vowed never again to use a packet mix. My solution to the lazy man’s Hedgehog slice follows! Fair warning though, this baby is so rich and delicious you may only be able to handle a little at a time!

Serves 15, Prep time 20 mins, Total time for cooling approx.  6 hrs/overnight

Ultimate Hedgehog Slice

400g dark melting chocolate

150g butter

1cup icing sugar

1 ½ packets Arnott’s Scotch Finger biscuits

150 g packet hazelnuts – chopped

1 egg – beaten

1tsp vanilla extract

Icing

1 cup icing sugar

½ cup cocoa powder

2tbs milk/water

Chocolate flakes (optional extra)

1. Melt chocolate, butter and sugar in a glass bowl, you can use the microwave for this just be sure to stop every 30 seconds to stir.
2. Once completely melted and mixed together add the egg and vanilla extract. Be sure to combine well, then heat once more in the microwave for 30 seconds to ensure the egg stays warm enough to cook through. Your mixture should turn a glossy chocolate colour and be smooth.
3. In a separate bowl crush the biscuits and mix in the chopped hazelnuts.
4. Add the biscuit mix to the chocolate and combine until all the biscuits are covered in chocolate.
5. Spoon mixture into a lined 20 x 30cm slice tin pressing down to ensure the mixture is packed in.
6. For the icing, simply mix all ingredients together to form a thick paste. When fully combined drizzle the icing over the slice evenly to smooth out the surface. You can also tap the tin lightly on your counter top to reduce any air bubbles or gaps that might not have been filled at first. Feel free at this point to top with chocolate flakes.
7. Chill in the fridge over night or for at least 6 hours. When fully hardened remove from the time dust with icing sugar and slice with a sharp hot knife (run under hot water – I managed to cut 15 slices about 2-3 inches square, this is very rich so if you think you you can handle more, feel free to cut larger slices!).
8. Enjoy!

~A