No-Bake Chocolate Hedgehog Slice Recipe for Crowd-Pleasing Treats

This quick and easy Hedgehog Slice combines crushed biscuits, coconut and walnuts for a perfect no-bake treat. Ideal for lunch boxes or any chocolate craving, this simple chocolate slice is chewy, fudgy and slightly crunchy.

The first time I tasted a hedgehog slice was after moving to Australia. I didn’t know what to expect, but it had chocolate—so I was intrigued. One bite and I was hooked: chewy, fudgy, with crunchy bits of biscuit and coconut. It’s also remarkably easy to make.

Note: in Australia a bar-style tray-bake is commonly called a slice. A slice is any sweet dessert baked or assembled in a square or brownie pan, usually finished with chocolate or icing.

Hedgehog Slice – A Lesson in Deliciousness

This hedgehog slice is packed with crushed digestive biscuits, desiccated coconut and chopped walnuts.

• If you can’t find digestive biscuits, graham crackers (North America), Arnott’s Marie biscuits, or shortbread would all work well.
• I prefer desiccated (finely shredded) coconut because the bars cut more cleanly. Either sweetened or unsweetened coconut is fine; I usually use unsweetened since the slice is already very sweet.
• Walnuts can be swapped for pecans or hazelnuts. Walnuts tend to chop and distribute nicely.

The binding chocolate layer is made by gently melting sweetened condensed milk with butter, cocoa and dark chocolate. The base ends up close to a soft fudge—rich, chewy and satisfying. For the base I used 50% dark chocolate; milk chocolate is too sweet for this component.

Once the base is pressed into the pan, a smooth chocolate topping is poured over. I like combining milk and dark chocolate for the topping, but use whatever chocolate you prefer.

Hedgehog Slice Without Nuts

To make a nut-free version you can either:

• Substitute 1/2 cup chopped nuts with 1/2 cup raisins, or
• Omit the nuts and increase the coconut to 3/4 cup and the biscuits to 300 g.

Tips and Tricks for Making Hedgehog Slice

1. Leave some larger biscuit pieces for crunch and visual interest. Break most biscuits by hand so you have a mix of crumbs and chunks; include both in the bowl.
2. To prevent the chocolate top from cracking when cutting:
   1. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil to the melted chocolate so it stays slightly softer.
   2. When the chocolate is about 75% set, gently score the surface with a thin knife along the lines where you’ll slice.
   3. Don’t cut the bars when the chocolate is fully cold—this often causes cracking. Wait until it’s set but not rock-hard.
3. For an extra-sweet variation, use white chocolate for the topping.

Storing Instructions

Store finished slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They can be frozen for up to 2 months and thawed in the fridge, though the chocolate topping can sometimes discolor after freezing.