5 from 15 votes
The best South African crunchie recipe
The South African crunchie is a baked bar combining cake flour, rolled oats, and desiccated coconut bound with a buttery golden syrup mixture activated with bicarbonate of soda. The batter is pressed into a pan and baked at two temperatures for a crisp, golden result with a chewy texture from the oats and coconut. It can be sliced into squares for a sweet, textured treat.
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
35 mins
Servings:
24
Course:
Baked Goods
Ingredients
- 120 grams cake flour 1 cup, or all-purpose flour
- 200 grams rolled oats 2 cups, whole
- 80 grams desiccated coconut 1 cup
- 230 grams butter salted
- 190 grams white sugar 1 cup, or light brown sugar
- 1 Tbs golden syrup
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C / 350F
- Mix the flour, oats and coconut in a bowl.
- Melt the butter in a small pot and then add the syrup and sugar and heat.
- When the butter is bubbling, add the bicarb (baking soda) and stir through and remove from the heat. It should bubble and form a fluffy mallow texture.
- Pour the butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir together by hand.
- Using the back of a metal spoon, gently press the crunchie mixture into a greased or lined baking tray (aprox 30cm x 20cm or similar depending on how thick you like the crunchies. A thinner layer will make crisper crunchies and a thicker layer will make them chewier.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 180 C/350F then turn the oven down to 160C/325°f and bake for a further 10 minutes until golden brown. Keep a close eye as they can burn easily
- Allow to cool in the pan before slicing into squares.
Cup of Yum
Notes
- Press the mixture evenly in the pan; thinner layers produce crisper crunchies, thicker layers yield chewier texture.
- Bake first at 180°C then lower to 160°C to achieve a golden brown color without burning.
- Keep a close eye during baking as the crunchies can burn easily.
- Store in an airtight container to keep fresh for up to 4 weeks.