Peppermint Crisp tart is one of South Africa's most beloved no-bake desserts. Layers of caramel mousse, coconut biscuits, and chopped mint chocolate soften overnight into something you could call a South African tiramisu of sorts.
It's a super easy-to-make fridge-set tart, and often served at family gatherings alongside other favorites like malva pudding or milk tart.
Although it's easy to make. There are a few little tips and tricks many people don't know about, and if you want to go one step further, you can use homemade tennis biscuits to notch it up a level.
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Ingredients
- Cream - Use cream with at least 35% fat. Whipping cream or double cream.
- Caramel treat (dulce de leche) - Caramelized condensed milk, sold as Caramel Treat in South Africa, dulce de leche internationally. You can make your own by boiling an unopened tin of condensed milk for 3 hours, fully submerged the whole time, then chilling overnight or in ice water.
- Salt - Added to the caramel to balance the sweetness. This is a little pro trick most recipes leave out.
- Peppermint Crisp chocolate - The iconic South African mint chocolate bar. Outside SA, use Aero Mint (UK, Australia, New Zealand) or finely chopped Andes mints (US). Freeze the chocolate before chopping, so it doesn't melt while you handle it.
- Tennis Biscuits - You can use any type of coconut digestive biscuit. I prefer to use homemade tennis biscuits, as they are quite a few levels above anything store-bought, plus they are super simple to make.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
One batch makes one 1.5 L (1.5 quart) tart in a rectangular dish, serving 8 to 10.
Making the caramel mousse
- Smooth out the caramel and add salt. Empty 385 g (one tin) of caramel treat into a separate bowl. Add 6 g (1 tsp) salt and stir until smooth. The salt cuts the sweetness and balances the flavor. This is a little cheffy trick you can use in all your sweet baking. Always add a little pinch of salt.
- Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Pour 500 g (2 cups) heavy or whipping cream into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the cream holds stiff peaks - it should stand upright when you lift the whisk, not flop over. This takes roughly 3 to 4 minutes, and make sure the cream is cold when you start whipping.
- Fold in the cream. Fold the cream into the caramel in stages. Don't just add all of it at once. If you do that, you'll end up with unmixed spots of caramel, which will be almost impossible to work into the mousse. So, best temper the caramel with cream bit by bit. When fully combined, you should have a fluffy caramel mousse with no streaks.
- Chop the chocolate. The trick is to keep your peppermint crisp in the fridge or freezer, especially on hot days, to avoid it melting while you work with it. Chop it fairly small but not into a powder. A few little chunks here and there are fine.
- Add chocolate. Add 100 g (about two-thirds) of the chopped chocolate to the mousse and fold it in gently. Reserve the remaining 50 g for the top.
Assembling the tart
- Start with a layer of mousse. Spread about one-third of the mousse across the bottom of a 1.5 L (1.5 quart) dish. Any shape works as long as it holds the volume.
- Add the biscuits. Lay Tennis biscuits (or your substitute) over the mousse in a single layer, breaking them to fit if needed. If your biscuits are thick or you want a more homogeneous set (less distinct layers, closer to a mousse cake), crush them roughly and sprinkle an even layer instead. Both methods work.
- Repeat the layers. Add another layer of mousse, then biscuits, then mousse again.
- Even out the top. Use a spatula or knife to level off the top layer of cream. It doesn't have to be perfect, just roughly evenly spread out.
- Top with chocolate and chill overnight. Scatter the remaining 50 g chopped chocolate over the top. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or better overnight.
Watch how to make it
Pro tips when making Peppermint Crisp tart
- The caramel-folding step is where most people go wrong - if you add all the whipped cream to the dense caramel in one go, the cream deflates and the caramel streaks through instead of incorporating evenly. Always temper the caramel with a small amount of cream first, stir it in fully to loosen the mixture, then fold in the rest gradually. This is the difference between silky mousse and an uneven texture.
- Freeze the chocolate before chopping - Peppermint Crisp (or Aero Mint, or Andes mints) melts quickly when you handle it. Freeze the bars for at least 30 minutes before chopping, then work fast. In a warm kitchen or on a hot day, this could become a bit messy and melty if the chocolate is not frozen.
- Whole vs. crushed biscuits changes the final texture - whole Tennis biscuits in distinct layers give you a tiramisu-style structure with clear separation between mousse and biscuit. Crushed biscuits sprinkled in create a more homogeneous dessert with a softer texture throughout. Both of these methods are popular-it just depends on what you prefer. I like the layered version when it has time to soften in the fridge. When I'm in a rush, I tend to go for the crushed biscuit version.
- Whip the cream to stiff peaks, not soft - soft peaks collapse under the weight of the caramel, and you won't have a fluffy mousse. Beat the cream until it stands upright when you lift the whisk or beaters.
- The salt in the caramel- Salt is that magic little ingredient that balances the sweetness as well as brings out the flavor.
- Let it chill the full time - 6 hours minimum, overnight preferred. The biscuits need time to soften, and the mousse needs time to set properly. Dishing up too early will just mean hard biscuits and a runny mousse.
Substitutions and variations
- Peppermint chocolate - Aero Mint for Peppermint Crisp (UK, Australia, New Zealand) Andes mints for Peppermint Crisp (US). Neither of these have the same texture as Peppermint Crisp, so won't be quite the same, but the flavor is close.
- Nice biscuits (UK, Australia, New Zealand) or graham crackers (US) for Tennis biscuits - Nice biscuits are the closest match in flavor and texture. Graham crackers work but lack the coconut, although they do sell a coconut-flavored version in some countries. Same layering method. If they're thick, crush them roughly instead of layering whole.
- Homemade caramel for the tinned version - Boil an unopened 397 g tin of sweetened condensed milk fully submerged in water for 3 hours, topping up with boiling water as it evaporates. Let it cool completely, then chill overnight.
- Mini tarts in individual glasses - Divide the mousse and biscuits between 8 to 10 small glasses, jars, or pastry cases. Follow the same layering steps. These are super popular at parties and get-togethers.
Storage instructions
Refrigerator: The tart keeps for 4 days, covered tightly with plastic wrap. The biscuits continue to soften as it sits, so day 2 is the sweet spot I find, once the textures and flavors have had some time to get to know each other properly.
Freezer: Don't recommend it because the texture changes and it loses that freshness and fluffiness of a fresh one. With that said though, it's quite a tasty little frozen treat. Somewhere between ice cream and frozen parfait. So if the aim is a frozen dessert, by all means freeze it.
Frequently asked questions
You added all the whipped cream to the caramel in one go, which deflated the cream and left unincorporated streaks. The fix: add a small amount of cream to the caramel first, stir it in fully to loosen and lighten the mixture, then fold in the rest gradually. This tempers the caramel and lets the cream incorporate evenly without losing volume.
You can, and many South African home cooks do - Orley Whip (a non-dairy whipped topping) was the original ingredient in many old recipes. It sets firmer than real cream and doesn't deflate as easily, but the flavor is less rich. If you use it, you can skip the tempering step - just fold the Orley Whip directly into the caramel. Real whipped cream gives you better flavor and a lighter texture, but Orley Whip is more forgiving for first-timers.
Either the biscuits were too thick, or the tart didn't chill long enough. Tennis biscuits are thin shortbread - thicker substitutes like some graham crackers take longer to absorb moisture, and very thick ones may never soften fully. If you're using a thick substitute, crush the biscuits roughly and sprinkle layers instead of laying them whole. Also make sure you chill the tart for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
Peppermint Crisp is a South African chocolate bar made by Nestlé - mint-flavored chocolate with a light, aerated honeycomb-style center. It's iconic in South Africa and widely used in desserts, but it's hard to find outside the country. Aero Mint (UK, Australia, New Zealand) is the closest substitute, or Andes mints in the US.
Tennis biscuits are South African coconut shortbread cookies, sold in rectangular shapes with a slightly sweet, buttery flavor and coconut aroma. They're a pantry staple in South African homes. Outside SA, Nice biscuits (UK, Australia, New Zealand) are the closest match, or you can make them from scratch - the dough is simple, and the biscuits keep well.
You can, but the chocolate layer is part of the appeal - it's what people see first, and it adds textural contrast to the creamy mousse. If you want to cut back, use less chocolate (25-30 g instead of 50 g for the topping), but don't skip it entirely.
More South African recipes
If you've made this Peppermint Crisp tart, I'd love to hear how it turned out. Leave a rating and a comment below - it helps other readers and lets me know what's working in your kitchen.
Recipe
Peppermint Crisp Tart
Ingredients
For the caramel mousse:
- 500 grams heavy or whipping cream
- 385 grams caramel treat (dulce de leche)
- 6 grams salt
- 150 grams Peppermint Crisp chocolate - or Aero Mint, or Andes mints, chopped fine
For the layers:
- 200 grams Tennis biscuits - or Nice biscuits, or graham crackers)
Instructions
- Prepare the caramel. In a separate bowl, smooth out 385 g caramel treat with 6 g salt. The salt balances the sweetness - don't skip it.
- Whip the cream. Beat 500 g heavy cream in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form - the cream should stand upright when you lift the beaters. This takes 3 to 4 minutes. Under-whipped cream won't hold the layers.
- Temper the caramel. Add 2 tablespoons of the whipped cream to the caramel and stir it in fully until the mixture loosens and lightens in color. This step prevents streaky, deflated mousse - if you dump all the cream in at once, the dense caramel will deflate the whipped cream and leave you with grainy texture.
- Fold in the cream. Add the remaining whipped cream to the lightened caramel in three additions, folding gently but decisively with a silicone spatula after each. Work swiftly for even incorporation without overworking. When fully combined, you should have fluffy caramel mousse with no streaks.
- Add the chocolate. Freeze 150 g Peppermint Crisp (or substitute) for at least 30 minutes, then chop it fine - cold chocolate shatters cleanly instead of melting. Fold 100 g (two-thirds) of the chopped chocolate into the mousse. Reserve the remaining 50 g for the top.
- Start layering. Spread one-third of the mousse across the bottom of a 1.5 L (1.5 quart) dish.
- Add biscuits. Lay Tennis biscuits (or substitute) over the mousse in a single layer, breaking to fit. For a more homogeneous texture or if your biscuits are thick, crush them roughly and sprinkle an even layer instead of laying whole.
- Repeat layers. Add mousse, then biscuits, then mousse again - 3 to 4 layers total depending on dish shape. End on mousse. Level the mousse as best you can.
- Top with chocolate. Scatter the reserved 50 g chopped chocolate generously over the top.
- Chill overnight. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. The biscuits will soften slightly but should retain some texture - that's exactly what you want.
Video
Notes
- Caramel treat - buy the caramelized tin, not plain condensed milk - Look for Caramel Treat (South Africa), dulce de leche, Carnation Caramel, or Nestlé Top 'n' Fill, all sold pre-cooked. Plain sweetened condensed milk stays runny and will not set. To make your own, boil a sealed 397 g tin fully submerged for 3 hours, topping up the water as it evaporates, then cool and chill overnight before opening.
- Folding the cream in stages - the step most people get wrong - Whip the cream cold to stiff peaks so it holds under the weight of the caramel. Loosen the dense caramel with a spoonful or two of cream first, then fold the rest in gradually. Adding all the cream at once deflates it and leaves streaks of unmixed caramel instead of an even mousse.
- Freeze the Peppermint Crisp before chopping - Thirty minutes in the freezer stops it smearing while you chop, especially on a hot day. Chop small but leave a few chunks. No Peppermint Crisp where you are? Aero Mint (UK, Australia, New Zealand) or chopped Andes mints (US) get you close on flavor, though neither has the honeycomb crunch.
- Biscuits - whole or crushed, and what to swap in - Whole Tennis biscuits give clean, tiramisu-style layers. Crushed and scattered gives a softer, more uniform set. Thick substitutes should be crushed rather than laid whole, or they never soften fully. Subs: Nice biscuits (UK, Australia, New Zealand), graham crackers (US, though they lack the coconut), or homemade. For gluten-free, crush in a GF coconut biscuit.
- Dish and equipment - Any dish that holds 1.5 L (1.5 qt) works, whatever the shape. You need an electric mixer for the cream. For parties, build it in 8 to 10 individual glasses or jars using the same layering.
- When it is ready, and how to serve it - Chill 6 hours minimum, overnight is better. That is when the biscuits soften and the mousse sets. Serve it too early and you get hard biscuits and loose mousse. This is a scoop-and-serve fridge tart, not a clean-slicing cake, so spoon it onto plates.
- Make-ahead and storage - This is a make-ahead dessert by design. Build it the day before, it is better on day 2 once the biscuits have softened into the mousse. It keeps 4 days in the fridge, covered tightly. Freezing turns it into something closer to a semifreddo, still good, but not the fluffy fridge-tart texture.
- No raw egg, plus allergens and sweetness - No baking and no raw egg, so it is fine for anyone avoiding either. It contains dairy, wheat (from the biscuits), and coconut. It is a sweet dessert, and the teaspoon of salt in the caramel is what cuts that sweetness, so do not leave it out.
Nutrition
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