Cuisine – Frosted salted caramel slice

After the official celebratory holidays are over, many of us find that it’s still a while until our kids and grandkids return to school. There’s not just the hunger of growing kids to attend to, but we’re also having to look for meaningful activities to keep them busy. When the weather is inclement, cooking up a storm in the kitchen can be a great way to manage both of those needs.

Too many kids do not get the opportunity to cook, especially as the modern school curriculum does not cover this particular life skill, sadly. Schools that offer the very good Garden to Table programme combine both gardening participation and kitchen skills in a great way that encourages our kids in identifying fresh seasonal food and introducing them to good eating habits. Too often these skills are left to parents, who sometimes even cannot cook for themselves due to busy lives or through a lack of kitchen knowledge.

I love it when the grandkids come around and help in the kitchen. Like Garden to Table does, I have encouraged the children from a very early age to use proper knives (under supervision) and also to assist in kitchen clean up. It’s easy to make these things fun!

Cooking a simple dinner may be the best skill you can possibly teach kids, and I always start with cooking something they love before introducing a completely new meal. Omelettes with cheese (actually anything with cheese), real potato chips baked in the oven, a simple pasta meal, or wraps filled with fresh salad vegetables are a good place to start. A whole roasted chicken is even better.

But baking is always the most popular. Scones and muffins are quick and easy, and do not need a lot of equipment. But cake baking is great fun and there’s always the treat of licking the bowl to encourage small people. This week’s recipe is great as I have updated it with salted caramel rather than just the brown sugar frosted topping.

Originally known as Frosted Brown Cookies, this is one of those recipes that will be a family favourite for as long as we produce cooks who are keen to bake. My Nana Nancy was a World War I bride, lured to a life in New Zealand by her Kiwi soldier husband. They’d met in the Warrington post office in Lancashire.

I have fond memories of everything in her kitchen, except her canary in a wire cage. I was terrified of that little bird. However, I loved all her baking and this cookie recipe is from her kitchen to mine, via my own mother.

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Frosted Salted Caramel Slice

120g butter
200g brown sugar
2 egg yolks
200g wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 tsp pure vanilla essence

For the topping:
2 egg whites
150g brown sugar
1 tsp flaky salt crystals
½ tsp pure vanilla essence

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Prepare a Swiss roll tin by greasing with butter. Beat the butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, still beating and then fold in the flour with the baking powder and the vanilla essence. Spread this mixture into the tin to form the base.

To make the topping, clean the bowl and the beaters thoroughly. Beat the egg whites until they foam up and thicken, then add the brown sugar, salt crystals and vanilla essence. Continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. Spread this over the base evenly.

Bake in the heated oven for 40 minutes until the top is set. The middle will be chewy and moist. Cool before slicing into squares. It will keep for a week in an airtight tin.

Makes about 24 squares.