This Chocolate Oat Slice is truly delicious and addictive! Chewy oats in golden syrup and coconut with a naughty layer of chocolate.
Honouring ANZAC Day
Every year on the 25th of April on ANZAC Day, we commemorate the spirit, heroism and sacrifice of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC’s) who served in the Gallipoli campaign during WW1. This later became a day to honour all veterans of all Australian & New Zealand military branches who served in the wars and conflicts that followed.
I took the above paragraph from my first recipe (Oat fruit Slice) honouring ANZAC Day, last year.
Honouring ANZAC Day feels especially important this year. We’re very fortunate that we weren’t born yet during the first or second world war. Growing up, I never thought WW3 would ever happen and now here we are. Things are looking daunting as ever with the current state of affairs around the world.
It’s a sickening feeling that when we turn on the TV or read a news clip, there’s always someone outlining the number of lives lost in the war in Ukraine. Through the devastation, the Ukrainian’s strength and pride to protect their country and freedom are admirable.
The courage of soldiers risking their lives to defend their country and people is beyond any words. We have never felt more respect for our army than we do now. We can only keep praying for what feels impossible, but we can’t give up on having hope for peace. Peace for every single country that is at war right now.
More good stuff we Aussies love to eat:
Chocolate Cherry Slice
Vegemite and Cheese Scrolls
Classic Aussie Beef Pie
Pork & Fennel Sausage Rolls
Chocolate coated ‘ANZAC biscuit’ slice
Australian law protected the use of the name ‘ANZAC Biscuits’, so what this means is businesses cannot call their cookies ANZAC Biscuits unless it has the original ingredients in them. Businesses must also seek approval from the Minister of Veterans Affairs to use ANZAC on any of their products for commercial reasons. This is to stop businesses from profiting from the use of ANZAC and to keep the integrity of the history attached to it.
Soldiers’ wives made and sent ANZAC biscuits abroad to their husbands during the war. They made it using pantry staples with no eggs, so it wouldn’t spoil for months.
Last year I posted my old school Oat fruit Slice recipe because it contained rolled oats and desiccated coconut, just like ANZAC Biscuits. So this year I wanted to make ANZAC Biscuits because they’re simple and delicious, but with minor changes. This Chocolate Oat Slice has a chewy ANZAC Biscuit base that includes oats, butter, desiccated coconut and golden syrup, with a layer of creamy chocolate.
Oh boy, I shouldn’t have made this when our household recently promised each other to eat healthy. Having these slices within reach will ruin any chance of eating well! Each time I popped one in my mouth, I thought about the rolled oats, so it must be relatively healthy, right?!
They’re so dangerously addictive that half of my batch has mysteriously disappeared. The shameless adults have accused the toddler that cannot yet defend himself, but we all know it’s not him as he can’t reach them. We have agreed to remove them from our premises, so we’re gifting the remaining slices to my parents. My dad is a serious sweet tooth and I know his eyes would sparkle like crazy once he bites into one!
Ingredients for Chocolate Oat Slice
Rolled oats (Old-fashioned oats) are made from husked oat groats that are steamed and flattened. They’re lightly processed and highly nutritious.
Plain flour (all-purpose flour) does not have any leavening or raising agents (baking powder) mixed into the flour.
Desiccated coconut is finer than dry shredded coconut flakes, but it’s not the same as coconut flour. Neither is interchangeable with this recipe, as it will change the texture of the ANZAC biscuit base. I used unsweetened desiccated coconut.
Caster sugar (superfine sugar) – Caster sugar has finer granules than regular white sugar. However, it’s not the same as icing/powdered sugar. Many baking or candy recipes call for caster sugar as it dissolves faster and better into mixtures. If you can’t find caster sugar, you can make your own by placing regular sugar in a food processor or blender. Pulse the sugar a few times until it looks finer, but don’t over-blitz to a powder consistency. Or, just use equal amounts of regular white sugar.
Milk chocolate – I prefer using good quality cooking/baking chocolate as they have a higher percentage of cocoa butter, which makes it easier to melt and work with. Plus, quality chocolate tastes so much better. However, regular eating chocolate would also work.
Golden syrup has a caramel/toffee flavour with a thick and sticky consistency. Supermarkets usually stock golden syrup near the syrups/honey or baking section. If golden syrup is unavailable, you can swap it with an equal amount of honey or mix 1:3 of treacle (or light molasses) with honey.
Subscribe to 3CatsFoodie’s FREE Newsletter
For the latest recipes and other fun stuff!
How to make Chocolate Oat Slice
Step-by-step guide with photos
Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F) or 160°C (320°F) for fan-forced ovens. Grease and line the base and sides of a 23x33cm (9x13in) baking tin with non-stick baking/parchment paper. Allow the paper to overhang slightly over the tin lengthwise, as we’ll be using this to lift the slice from the tin.
In a large bowl, place and mix the dry ingredients: oats, flour, coconut, sugar and salt.
Place the butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir regularly until the butter melts.
Remove the saucepan from heat and quickly stir in the bicarbonate of soda (this will make the mixture foam up). Pour the hot mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well until there are no dry bits visible.
Place the oats mixture into the prepared tin, then use a flat spatula to flatten down the mixture firmly into the base of the tin. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top. Leave the slice in the tin and leave it to cool down for 1 hour at room temperature. The slice will be soft after baking but will harden when cooled.
Once the slice has mostly cooled down, work on melting the chocolate. Roughly chop the chocolate and place it in a microwave-safe bowl, then pour the oil over the chocolate. Zap the chocolate on high in the microwave in 40-second bursts until the chocolate has melted, stir the chocolate after each burst. Note: to prevent the chocolate from seizing, make sure your equipment (bowl, knife, chopping board and spoon) is dry with no water. Just a small amount of water may cause the chocolate to seize, making the chocolate grainy instead of melting smoothly.
Pour the chocolate over the slice and tilt the tin so the chocolate covers all areas evenly. Leave the chocolate to set at room temperature for 30 minutes, then place the tin in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes or until the chocolate sets. Take the tin out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing.
Leftovers – Place the slices in an airtight container and leave them at room temperature for up to 3 to 4 days.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
I would love your feedback and support if you made this recipe. To do this, please rate this recipe and provide a comment by scrolling down this page or by clicking that green circle on the bottom left. An email address is required (for spam), but it won’t be published. I would also love to see your dish, so don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram account ‘3catsfoodie’
Cheers – Cat T
Watch my Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Video
Chocolate Oat Slice
Ingredients
- 1½ cup rolled oats (NOTE 1)
- 1½ cup plain flour (all purpose flour) (NOTE 2)
- 1½ cup desiccated coconut (NOTE 3)
- ¾ cup caster sugar (or regular white sugar) (NOTE 4)
- ½ tsp salt
- 230 gm unsalted butter (roughly chopped)
- ½ cup golden syrup (NOTE 5)
- 1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (bi-carb or baking soda)
Chocolate topping
- 380 gm baking/cooking chocolate (NOTE 6)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil (or any neutral tasting oil)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F) or 160°C (320°F) for fan-forced ovens. Grease and line the base and sides of a 23x33cm (9x13in) baking tin with non-stick baking/parchment paper. Allow the paper to overhang slightly over the tin lengthwise, as we'll be using this to lift the slice from the tin.
- In a large bowl, place and mix the dry ingredients: oats, flour, coconut, sugar and salt.
- Place the butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir regularly until the butter melts. Remove the saucepan from heat and quickly stir in the bicarbonate of soda (this will make the mixture foam up).
- Pour the hot mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well until there are no dry bits visible.
- Place the oats mixture into the prepared tin, then use a flat spatula to flatten down the mixture firmly into the base of the tin. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top. Leave the slice in the tin and leave it to cool down for 1 hour at room temperature. The slice will be soft after baking but will harden when cooled.
- Once the slice has mostly cooled down, work on melting the chocolate. Roughly chop the chocolate and place it in a microwave-safe bowl, then pour the oil over the chocolate. Zap the chocolate on high in the microwave in 40-second bursts until the chocolate has melted, stir the chocolate after each burst. Note: to prevent the chocolate from seizing, make sure your equipment (bowl, knife, chopping board and spoon) is dry with no water. Just a small amount of water may cause the chocolate to seize, making the chocolate grainy instead of melting smoothly.
- Pour the chocolate over the slice and tilt the tin so the chocolate covers all areas evenly. Leave the chocolate to set at room temperature for 30 minutes, then place the tin in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes or until the chocolate sets. Take the tin out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing.
