Fruity Medley Slice

I have always loved my mum's Fruit Medley Slice and since I can't have condensed milk, malt biscuits, malted milk powder, or the shop-bought packets of fruit medley (due to preservatives), which are all in her original recipe, I have been searching for a slice that will fill this craving. Finally I have found various recipes of which I can take bits and pieces from to form my own, healthier and more allergy-friendly slice!

Base
1 cup Spelt Flour
1/2 cup rapadura sugar
1/2 cup organic dessicated coconut
125g organic butter-melted

Preheat oven to 180C. Sift flour, add sugar and coconut and mix well. Stir in melted butter. Press well into a greased and lined slice tray. Bake 25-30 minutes until brown and crisp. Let this cool completely before adding fruit mixture.

Topping
1 cup chopped organic apricots
1 cup organic shredded coconut + extra for dusting
1 1/2 cups organic sultanas
4-5 Tablespoons Home-made Coconut Condensed Milk (see below)

Mix fruit together. Add 4 tablespoons of home-made coconut condensed milk and mix. Add extra if mixture has not all combined together and coated lightly. Spoon onto base and press down firm, but not too hard that the base breaks. Place in fridge for several hours before cutting into slices. Store in the fridge, or freeze and eat frozen if you find the slice is too chewy or the topping falls off the base. Lastly, ENJOY!!!

*for my coconut condensed milk recipe which I used successfully in this recipe, visit this page:
Dairy-free Coconut Condensed Milk

Dairy-Free Coconut Condensed Milk

After searching and searching through various recipes for a dairy-free alternative for condensed milk, that would be suitable to use in slices, and after testing various recipes, I have finally found one that is sufficient! Inspired by andloveittoo.com and www.beyondthepeel.net.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups home-made coconut milk or 1 can of coconut milk (I used home-made, this way there are definitely no preservatives or additives in it)
1/2 cup honey, agave, maple syrup or other sweetener of choice (I used honey)
1 tsp vanilla (optional)

Method:
Place ingredients into a saucepan (I used my non-stick) and place on a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. When it begins to simmer, reduce to lowest heat possible. Let it simmer for 1-2 hours (it took mine at least 2 hours, don't worry if it's not your desired consistency after two hours, just be patient and let it continue to simmer) and continue to stir occasionally. Once mixture becomes a more brown and golden colour, test some by placing a small spoonful onto a plate and placing in the fridge or freezer. Once it has cooled, if it is desired consistency, let the rest of the mixture cool-not in the fridge or freezer-and then refrigerate. If it's not desired consistency, try this process again after about 10 or 15 minutes. Don't worry if there are bits in the mixture that haven't fully mixed in, this is normal.

*If you'd like to watch a brief video about the method, visit:
http://www.beyondthepeel.net/2012/11/sweetened-condensed-coconut-milk.html