Ginger Caramel Slice

This Ginger Caramel slice is a mashup of two New Zealand Classics - ginger crunch and caramel slice. This Ginger Caramel Slice has a gingery oaty base, then is topped with a smooth ginger caramel and finished with a drizzle of chocolate and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

Hi! Happy almost Fall! I am so excited to share the recipe for this ginger caramel slice - this is a mashup of two of my most favourite New Zealand ‘slices’ (what we call a bar) - ginger crunch, and caramel slice! 

Ginger crunch is traditionally a simple cookie base, topped with a super sweet ginger icing layer - I have taken the cookie base, added oats to it for some chew, then topped it with a super chewy, silky, ginger caramel, which comes together quickly and is super easy to make. 

Once the slice is cool, it gets cut up into pieces, and drizzled with a little dark chocolate as a nod to the smooth chocolate topping that usually finishes off a caramel slice. These really are the best of both worlds and have a wee bit of spice to help transition us into our fall baking. I really hope that you give them a try! Here are all the things we will cover about ginger caramel slice today:

Ingredients in Ginger Caramel Slice

The other thing that I love about this ginger caramel slice is that it comes together with pantry staples. The base has brown sugar, flour, oats, ground ginger, all-purpose flour, and a little baking powder, which is then combined with melted butter and honey in a bowl and pressed into the crust, and baked until golden brown and left to cool. 

The topping is then a super simple caramel, made with a can of condensed milk, honey, brown sugar, butter, and salt. The presence of the condensed milk and honey helps to keep everything smooth as the caramel cooks on the stove top. Ground ginger is stirred in right at the end for a delicious spiced caramel, which is poured over the cooled base and left to set in the fridge. 

• All-purpose Flour - AP flour is used as the base of the slice, and mixed with some baking powder, salt, and ground ginger
• Unsalted Butter - Butter goes into both the base and the filling of this ginger caramel slice.
• Old Fashioned Oats - I love adding oats into baking, as it gives taste and texture!
• Brown Sugar - There is brown sugar in both the base and the topping. It provides the most amazing caramel flavour. 
• Honey - Honey is also in the base and the topping of the slice! It helps act as a binding agent in the base, and then works as an invert sugar in the filling to help smooth things out! 
• Sweetened Condensed Milk - The base of every good caramel slice, condensed milk provides creaminess while helping to smooth everything out.
• Ground Ginger - There is ginger in both the base and the filling, making this the perfect fall transition dish!
• Chocolate - I melted some chocolate and mixed with a tiny bit of neutral oil to create a shiny chocolate that I drizzled over the bars.

Tips for the best ginger slice

• I like to give the caramel slice at least a few hours or up to overnight to chill down. You want to make sure that there is no heat left in the caramel at all when you cut it into bars!
• I made these pretty big for the photos, you can cut them in half again to give you 18 bars.
• I finished these with a little drizzle of chocolate and a sprinkle of sea salt. If you would like a full chocolate layer on top you can melt together 180g of chocolate with 30g (2 Tbsp) neutral oil and do a smooth chocolate topping instead by pouring it over and leaving it to set. 
• The easiest way to cut these is by using a hot knife. To do this I put some boiling water into a jar, and then dip my knife in and wipe it down before cutting. Just be careful of the knife being warm! Re-dip it and wipe between cuts to keep the knife nice and clean and your edges straight.

Using Binder Clips in Baking

Binder clips! I like to use little metal binder clips on the sides of my baking pan to help keep my parchment paper steady in my baking pan and to stop it flopping down onto your filling. They can go in the oven provided they don’t have any paint on them so make sure if you want to bake with them you use the plain silver ones!

How to get a perfect layers in baked goods.

I like to press in the crust of a slice or bar in a few different steps. The first is to transfer your base to your lined baking pan and roughly spread it out. I like to use the spatula I just used to combine the mixture to do this. Then I gently pat it down with my hands so it is a semi even layer. I then like to use a flat-bottomed metal measuring cup to tamp it down nice and firmly.

Then finally I go in with an offset spatula and tidy up the sides and any bumps. It seems like a lot of work, but it means that you get a super flat base of your slice, which means that your filling will sit nice and evenly! This is the secret to perfectly flat layers in my baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can these be made without a thermometer?
Having a thermometer is super helpful for the making of the caramel, so that you can ensure that it is brought to a high enough temperature for it to set - I take this caramel to 230°f / 110°c. If you don’t have one, you want to cook the caramel, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes or so. It will thicken and darken a few shades. Make sure you keep mixing it to make sure it doesn’t catch. 

How do you store ginger caramel slice?
This ginger caramel slice will keep for at least a week in an airtight container in the fridge. I like to stack a layer then place a piece of parchment or wax paper down and stack a second layer, just so that they don’t stick.

For more bar and slice recipes, check out:

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