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Dessert · Australian

White Christmas

No-bake Aussie Christmas slice with rice bubbles, coconut, dried fruit and copha or white chocolate. Ten minutes of work, then into the fridge.

Prep
15 min
Cook
5 min
Total
2 hr 20 min
Serves
24

Updated

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Ready in 2 hr 20 min, serves 24.

Total time
2 hr 20 min
Serves
24
Course
Dessert
Cuisine
Australian
Ingredients
7
Steps
6

Make ahead / storage: Keeps in an airtight container in a cool spot for up to 2 weeks, or in the fridge for longer.

Squares of White Christmas slice with rice bubbles, coconut, glace cherries and sultanas stacked on a white plate

White Christmas is the pale cousin of chocolate crackles, built the same way but set with copha and milk powder instead of cocoa. The result is a slice that's sweet, slightly chewy from the dried fruit and a bit snowy-looking once it's cut, which is presumably where the name came from.

Copha is the traditional setting agent and it's what gives the slice its clean white colour and firm, snappable texture once chilled. If you'd rather not use it, melted white chocolate sets the slice just as hard, though the flavour leans sweeter and the colour is more ivory than white. Either way, work fast once the melted fat goes in, it starts firming up the moment it hits the cool rice bubbles.

Glace cherries are the classic mix-in, but any small dried fruit works: chopped dried apricots, sultanas or craisins all do the same job of breaking up the rice bubbles with a chewy bite. Keep the pieces small, a whole glace cherry in a slice this thin is an odd mouthful.

This one sits in exactly the same spot as rocky road and chocolate crackles: a no-cook treat for a warm night now, and small squares bagged up make an easy edible gift closer to December, since it keeps well without refrigeration for a day or two in transit.

Recipe

White Christmas

Prep
15 min
Cook
5 min
Total
2 hr 20 min
Serves
24

Ingredients

24 Servings

Method

  1. Step 1: Line a 8 inch square tin with baking paper, leaving a little overhang on two sides to help lift the slice out later.

  2. Step 2: Melt the copha or white chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring now and then, until just liquid. Take it off the heat as soon as it's smooth, don't let it get hot.

    Tip: Overheated copha can split away from the dry mix instead of coating it evenly, and overheated white chocolate seizes into grainy lumps. Low and slow for both.

  3. Step 3: Combine the rice bubbles, coconut, milk powder and icing sugar in a large bowl, breaking up any lumps of milk powder with your fingers. Stir through the glace cherries and sultanas.

  4. Step 4: Pour the melted copha or chocolate over the dry mixture and stir quickly and thoroughly until every rice bubble is coated and no dry patches remain.

  5. Step 5: Tip into the prepared tin and press down firmly and evenly with the back of a spoon or your hand, working fast before it starts to set.

  6. Step 6: Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until firm, before lifting out and cutting into squares with a sharp knife.

Tips

  • Press the mixture down hard in the tin. A loosely packed slice crumbles apart when you cut it, a firmly pressed one holds together in clean squares.
  • Chop the glace cherries into quarters rather than halves, a bigger piece tends to fall out of the slice when you bite into it.
  • If using white chocolate instead of copha, melt it in short bursts in the microwave, stirring between each, rather than over direct heat, it's more prone to seizing.

Variations

  • Dairy-free: use copha rather than white chocolate, and swap the milk powder for the same amount of coconut milk powder, available in the baking aisle of most supermarkets.
  • Gluten-free: check your rice bubbles brand, most are gluten-free but a few blends are not, and double check the glace cherries and sultanas for added wheat-based dusting.
  • Christmas gifting: cut into small squares, layer between baking paper in an airtight container or stack in cellophane bags tied with ribbon. It travels well since it doesn't need refrigeration for a day or two.

Storage and make-ahead

Keeps in an airtight container in a cool spot for up to 2 weeks, or in the fridge for longer. On a warm day, keep it in the fridge rather than on the bench, the copha or white chocolate softens quickly and the slice loses its snap. Freezes well for up to 2 months, cut into squares and layered with baking paper.

Nutrition per serving, estimated

Calories
140
Protein
1g
Carbs
17g
Fat
7g

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