A favourite recipe from school days. If peppermint is not to your liking, just ice with your favourite icing.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups flour
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• 1½ cups brown sugar
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 3 cups cornflakes or lightly crushed weetbix
• 250 grams butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• extra coconut, to decorate
• peppermint icing
• 1½ cups icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon butter, melted (optional)
• peppermint to taste
• 2-3 tablespoons warm water or milk
• simple chocolate icing
• 1½ cups icing sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons cocoa
• 2-3 tablespoons warm water or milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease and line a large 24cm x 30cm slice tin.
2. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a bowl. Stir in brown sugar, coconut, cornflakes or weetbix. Make a well in the centre.
3. Stir butter and vanilla essence into dry ingredients and mix well. Press the mixture firmly into prepared tin.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the top of the slice is firm to the touch.
5. Cool for 10 minutes before spreading the pepermint icing evenly over the warm slice. Refrigerate until cold.
6. Carefully spread the chocolate icing on top of the peppermint icing and sprinkle with a little extra coconut to decorate, if wished. Cut into squares and keep in an airtight container.
7. peppermint icing
8. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the melted butter, if using, peppermint essence and sufficient warm water or milk to make a smooth thick icing that can spread easily onto the slice.
9. chocolate icing
10. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Dissolve the cocoa in the warm milk or water and allow to cool. Mix the sifted icing sugar and sufficient extra milk or water to reach the desired consistency.