Coffee streusel slice

January 2, 2026

   

It would seem that, for the third year in a row, I've gotten nostalgic over my Christmas-new year break and pulled out the Australian Women's Weekly Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits. This isn't actually a recipe we ate back in the 1990s; my brother would not have accepted the walnuts and neither of us would have been interested in the coffee. My tastes have changed! A biscuity based covered in coffee caramel, walnuts and a streusel topping is right up my alley.

My adjustments were minor. Worried about spreading the biscuit base as far as I needed to, I used a smaller, square baking tray than what was recommended and ended up with a taller, chunkier slice than the one in the book's photo. I was not interested in freezing and grating the streusel, so I just lightly crumbled it with my hands. Given the accessibility of dairy-free condensed milk these days, this would be easy to veganise.

The outcome was sweet and golden, and the walnuts almost melded into it. (Maybe I'd enjoy a coarser chop for greater contrast?) The small quantity of instant coffee powder didn't make an impression and I'd gladly add a lot more. This was a pleasing interplay of what I've always loved with what I've come to appreciate over time.

Coffee streusel slice

(slightly adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly The Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits)

base

125g butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 1/4 cups plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

filling

400g can sweetened condensed milk

30g butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup

3 teaspoons instant coffee (or add more, to taste)

1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

topping

1 cup plain flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/3 cup brown sugar

125g butter, at room temperature

Preheat an oven to 180°C. Line a 20cm square baking tray with paper.

Make the base in a medium-large bowl. Use an electric beater to beat together the butter and sugar. Sift in the flour and baking powder and stir until well combined. Spread the mixture evenly across the base of the baking tray, and bake it for about 15 minutes.

While the base is baking, get a small saucepan out and set it over medium-high heat. In the saucepan, stir together the condensed milk, butter, golden syrup and coffee. Bring the mixture to the boil and let it simmer for 3 minutes, until thickened. Stir in the walnuts. When the base has baked, retrieve it from the oven and pour over the filling. Allow it all to cool for 10 minutes.

While the filling is cooling, prepare the topping in a small-medium bowl. Stir together the flour, cinnamon and sugar. Chop the butter into cubes and either rub it into the flour or (my preference) mix it in with a fork until well combined. Break the mixture up into uneven chunks and drop them all over the top of the slice. Bake the slice for 20 minutes, until lightly browned, and allow it to cool within the tray.