Vegan Oat Slices

péché mignon | toasted oat , raisin, coconut and hazelnut chocolate slices

Serves 6-8

I defy anyone to eat these and not think they were made with dairy and milk chocolate. Beware: if you are anything like me, half the mixture will disappear before it even reaches a tin or case! Be careful though - if you are gluten intolerant, my oat packet says that they contain wheat gluten - so you may want to take these out and add extra nuts, fruit and coconut.

Wheat free, dairy free, meat free version...

Ingredients...

3½ oz (100g) bar 70+% dark chocolate, such as Green and Black's, broken into squares
3½ oz (100g) of dairy-free margarine
1 tbsp water (if using method 2)
1 tbsp rice milk
6 tbsp icing sugar
3 tbsp raisins
3 tbsp coconut
2 tbsp chopped hazelnuts
5 tbsp (jumbo) oats

The dried mixture comes to 12 tbsp in total, so if you didn't want to use coconut or hazelnuts, for example, you can adjust the ratio and add more of the raisins or oats.

Method...

There are two ways you could make this. The first one is better if you are able to do it, but if not then the second is the next best way.

First Method:

Preheat the oven to 150°C. When ready, toast the coconut, oats and nuts for a few minutes, if using. Don't let them burn or blacken at all.
Put the chocolate, broken into small pieces, in a pirex bowl together with the margarine.
Fill the bottom of a saucepan with boiling water and rest the bowl in the pan - the bottom should not touch the water when the water starts to bubble.
Leave until the chocolate and margarine have melted. Keep checking the water and refill if necessary. Do not let it boil dry.
When it's ready or nearly ready, stir together and add the rice milk.
Sift in the icing sugar and mix well.
Add the dried fruit and toasted ingredients - mix well, transfer to a tin, cover and leave the mixture to cool.
When cool, refrigerate for at least a few hours.

Second Method:

Preheat the oven to 150°C.
In a saucepan, gently heat the chocolate, water and margarine until they have all melted.
Then add the rice milk.
Keeping the pan on a very low heat, sieve in the icing sugar.
Stir in the raisins, coconut and hazelnuts.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
On a baking tray, spread out the oats and toast in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
Once toasted, pour them into the mixture, stir well and transfer to a 7 inch cake tin.
Cover with foil and leave to cool until you can put in the fridge.

Maybe serve with...

These are yummy all on their own!

For those able to eat wheat...

You could add puffed rice (often coated in wheat) or tiny biscuit bits instead of some of the other ingredients. I have tried organic wheat-free puffed rice, but it goes soggy.

If you have rice milk left, see the banana smoothie, hot chocolate, the rice pudding, the chocolate fudge sauce, or the divine chocolate pots. If you have chocolate leftover, see the chocolate fudge or Maggie B 's lethal chocolate cake. If you have margarine left, see the apple crumble, and the banana and walnut Welsh cakes. If you have coconut leftover, see the truffles.

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