Chocolate Shortbread Meets Coconut Cream Pie Xmas Present

The season is finally upon my household! And the Christmas baking has begun! 🙂

Don’t you love this time of the year???
Well, silly question – everyone does. Let us move on.

I am not a traditional dessert maker. Just because it is Christmas doesn’t mean I make red, green and white cakes only or bake gingerbread houses. I bake what I feel like and incorporate my own Christmas spirit into it – a.k.a Love and utter enjoyment.

Now see, this coconut chocolate slice seemed to embody exactly what message I was trying to convey – and it was totally in theme with my coconut cravings this week as well 🙂

We start off with a crumbly, shortbread base all buttery and chocolate-y with the added flavour of melted chocolate. Then, simply combine that with the delicious flavours of what, to me, seems like the perfect filling for a coconut cream pie – a smooth, silky coconut and sweetened condensed milk slop-turned crispy decadent in the oven. Top that with a chocolate topping and you can call me Santa (Santress?)

I did mention that this was a Christmas Present and that is true – it is for the man who made my teeth the straight perfection they are today in comparison to the stunningly (sarcasm) chipmunk-ly, overbite-d, upside down hole of a mouth of teeth I used to have – I owe you one Dr F! Since I am on retainers at night (don’t tell but I sometimes forget to wear them!), I see him really little now so I hope he likes this early Xmas present and goes home with a stomach like Santa!

Merry Christmas has begun!!!

P.S Here is my tree – isn’t she the cutest, most adorably stunning little artificial tree you have ever seen?

I got this recipe for coconut chocolate slice from Taste.com, one of the most searched sites in my lifetime – I think in every major food blogger’s actually 🙂
It had been bookmarked for quite some time so I thought it was about time to dust it off and start baking it 🙂

My Adaptations and Recommendations (as always – love it!)

• I baked my shortbread for 10-11 minutes initially instead of 15 because over-cooked shortbread is one of my biggest fears
• I recommend non-dark chocolate lovers use a mix of both milk and dark chocolate for melting into the base as well as in the topping – I used 75g milk and 75g dark in my topping (I made 1/2 the recipe as always)
• When cutting the slice, make sure it has been refrigerated OVERNIGHT (not 20 minutes) and cut with the tip of the knife going down first since the filling has a slightly gooey tendency and can come out

That is about it – what are you baking for Christmas???