Hedgehog Slice

Hedgehog Slice! This household favourite is timeless, rich and absolutely morish. It’s texture is firm but fudgy with chunky crushed biscuits throughout. It’s rich chocolate flavour is created with butter, coconut sugar, cocoa powder with a touch of vanilla. Make this hedgehog slice for the entire family to enjoy at home, work and school. 

What Is Hedgehog Slice?

Traditionally hedgehog slice is uncooked and it also includes a significant amount of condensed milk, along with a sweet frosting. However, this recipe I’m sharing with you was handed down to me from my mum and grandmother, so it’s most certainly a favourite from generation to generation in my family. It’s different to many hedgehog recipes you’ll come across as you actually have to cook the mixture. It also doesn’t include any frosting. It contains a couple of eggs and the cooking process means you won’t be eating raw eggs, so don’t be worried about that 🙂

I have been making this hedgehog slice for over 15 years and I can say, it’s probably my all time favourite recipe. Yes that’s a huge call to make but this is the one recipe I have been making for as long as I can remember. Even before I was born my family have been enjoying this hedgehog slice, which is why I’m even more excited to be sharing it with you. I would describe it as being a cross between chocolate fudge and a traditional hedgehog. It’s firm yet fudgy and every batch you make will slightly differ. 

Why does it differ? I’ve found various room and refrigerator temperatures will alter the texture slightly. A big contributor to this is also how chunky or finely crushed your biscuits are. I crush my biscuits until they turn to a medium-fine crumb but I do leave quite a few bigger chunks in there. Which is what makes the texture of this hedgehog oh so delicious, the combination of fudgy chocolate and chunky biscuits, yum! 

Key Ingredients

Unsalted butter as the foundation to your hedgehog slice. It creates structure and adds flavour. 

Coconut sugar to add sweetness, structure and texture.  

Desiccated coconut adds some slight bulk to the recipe for a firmer end product. 

Eggs also add structure and flavour. This step might seem unusual however, it will all make sense when you’re making it. 

Cocoa powder for that classic chocolate flavour. 

Vanilla extract adds a touch of beautiful flavour. 

Store-bought arrowroot biscuits or plain digestive biscuits as the chunky bits you can see throughout the hedgehog. 

How To Make Hedgehog Slice Or Watch It Here

To make your hedgehog slice, first line a 9 x 9 inch (22cm x 22cm) square baking pan with parchment paper and set it aside. Then in a food processor or high speed blender, add both packets of the biscuits and pulse them to a medium crumb, leaving some bigger chunks throughout. Crush one packet of biscuits at a time if your processor/blender is smaller. Set your biscuits aside. 

Place a medium-large flat based saucepan over low heat, add your butter and sugar. Gently melt the butter down whilst stirring it occasionally with a wooden spoon. Keep mixing until the butter has completely melted and the sugar has begun to dissolve, it won’t dissolve completely though. Turn off the heat once all of the butter has melted. 

Set it aside and allow it to cool for 20 minutes. This cooling step is to ensure your eggs won’t cook when you add them in the next step. The mixture will begin to firm up whilst it cools, keep stirring it occasionally to avoid it getting too hard, if it does, place it back over a low heat for a minute to loosen it up again. To test if it’s cooled enough, dip in your finger and it should feel slightly warm/at room temperature, not hot. 

Once it has cooled slightly, stir through your beaten eggs and mix until they’re well combined. Add your cocoa powder and stir it through until just combined. Return the pan to the stovetop and place it over a low-medium heat. Then continue stirring through the cocoa until it is well combined. Now stir through the vanilla. 

Increase the heat to medium and cook mixture until it thickens up, whilst stirring often. This process will take about 3 minutes. Small bubbles will begin to appear in the middle, which you’ll first notice the bubbles appearing underneath the mixture when you’re stirring. After 3 minutes and when some bubbles continue to pop and the mixture has thickened, remove it from the heat. 

Add your crushed biscuits and the desiccated coconut. Gently mixing it through until well combined and biscuits have all been coated in the mixture. 

Pour mixture into your lined pan and smooth out the top. Please be careful handling the pan and the mixture as it will still be hot. Transfer your hedgehog to the refrigerator and allow it to set for 3-4 hours or overnight, until it’s completely firm. 

Remove your slice from the pan and then cut it into squares. Time to enjoy your delicious hedgehog slice! 

Store your hedgehog in an airtight container, refrigerated, for 1 week - 10 days. 

Watch How To Make This Hedgehog Slice

Recipe Tips & Substitutions

• My number one tip for you when making this hedgehog slice is after you have melted the butter and sugar together. You need to allow this mixture to cool down until it’s just warm and even better, closer to room temperature. Why? Because you’ll be adding the beaten eggs in the next step and we do not want those eggs to cook and scramble when you add them. They need to seamlessly blend through the melted butter and sugar mixture. Then when you return it to the heat, you have already tempered your eggs and you won’t end up with little bits of scrambled eggs throughout your hedgehog. 
• When you have allowed your butter and sugar mixture to cool down, it will firm up. To avoid this, which makes it harder for you to stir through the eggs, just give it a few stirs whilst it’s cooling. Or if you’re struggling to mix it, place the pan back over a low heat and warm it up ever so slightly until the mixture is loose again. Ensuring not to warm it up too much, remember what I said about the eggs above 🙂
• I highly recommend you use coconut sugar for this recipe, which you can now find easily from your local supermarket or health food store. If you really cannot get your hands on coconut sugar, try using rapadura sugar or light brown sugar. Different types of dark sugar will have varying levels of sweetness. 
• If you don’t have natural unsweetened cocoa powder, you may also use cacao powder. 
• To make your hedgehog slice gluten free, you can use plain gluten free arrowroot or digestive biscuits, such as these ones.

Looking for more slice recipes? Here are some favourites:

Chocolate Coconut Slice

Cheats Caramel Slice (Dairy & Gluten Free)

No Bake Ginger Slice

Strawberry Jam Crumble Slice

If you make this recipe please be sure to let me know how you go in the comments below and tag me on Instagram with your delicious photos & video! I love to see what you guys are making from the blog and enjoying with your loved ones. 

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