July 29,2021
So I first saw a recipe for Crunchies while looking through the posts of a Facebook cooking group I participate in. They looked yummy, and different so I printed out the recipe and wrote the Canadian woman’s name at the bottom who posted it. If I ever used it I wanted to give her credit. Then I had a funny thing happen. I was looking through a new cookbook called Now For Something Sweet by a group of Australian women. It’s part of a series from Monday Morning Cooking Club. In there is a recipe for Crunchies by a woman with the same last name as the women from the cooking group. This couldn’t be a coincidence. Two women, one in Canada and one in Australia with the same last name and similar recipes. They must be related! I had to make those cookies!
Crunchies are South African cookie squares, similar to Anzac biscuits if you are familiar with those. They are oaty and crunchy with some dried coconut. The crunch is perfect. They are easy to make and I highly recommend them with a cup of tea.
I thought the technique used to get them crunchy was brilliant. After you bake them, cool them, and cut them, you put them back in the oven that you have just turned off and you leave them to sit for 2 hours in that slightly warm oven to “crunch up.” Because they are hidden away, It also stops your family from eating them before they are ready. Two hours can be a long time to wait!
Crunchies
Ingredients
1 1/2 heaped cups (275 grams ) all-purpose flour
1 cup (110 grams) rolled oats
3/4 cup (175 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup (85 grams) unsweetened dried coconut flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (220 grams) unsalted butter
2 heaped tablespoons golden syrup or light corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions
Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Spray a 9 x 12 inch pan with baking spray. Make a sling out of parchment paper, lining the bottom of the pan, but with plenty of overhang.
In a large bowl mix together the flour, oats, sugar, coconut, and salt
In a medium saucepan melt the butter and golden syrup (or corn syrup) together over medium heat. When it is melted turn off the flame and add the baking soda. The mixture will froth a bit.
Once it froths, pour it into the dry ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. Do not compress the mixture, just try to spread it out. Bake for 30 minutes or until it is a deep golden color. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the pan by picking up the parchment flaps. Place on a cutting board. Cut into squares. I used a pizza cutter to cut even squares.
Place the cut squares on a baking pan and put them back into the now turned off oven. Leave them in there for 2 hours, or until crunchy.
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