Crunchies are something a lot of South Africans grew up with, like Hershey’s Kisses in North America, or hot, roasted chestnuts in Europe. Yet, I never ever thought that they were in fact a purely South African treat.
“What are those?” I was often asked when giving out Cookie Gifts last year at this time.
“Crunchies. You know, like your Mum used to make.”
Blank stares all around. Which is when I discovered, with a little help from my friend Google, that the reason most people here in Toronto had never heard of a Crunchie is because they’d, well, never heard of Crunchies. Hmm. This didn’t seem right to me when I had such marvelous memories of my own Mum baking batches of them for us kids every winter and every birthday. Yummy, the smell of bubbling golden syrup, the crunchy, chewy squares we were somehow allowed to eat so many of. We never thought of them as even vaguely healthy as kids, when somehow healthy meant things like broccoli and lentils, blech, and yet, as an adult, I can see why these were the cookies our parents were so keen to get us eating. Not that they’re made of lentils, mind you, but when you compare them to so many of the other choices out there, they’re positively angelic, and getting children to eat their oats porrige … well, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. So here it is, North America. Go forth and Crunch for all you’re worth. You’ll not regret it.
Crunchies
1½ sticks butter
2 Tbsp golden syrup (eg: Lyles)
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp bicarb
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups whole rolled oats (not the quick cook kind)
1 cup coconut
1 Tbsp orange rind, finely grated
– preheat the oven to 350˚F
– melt the butter with the sugar and syrup. Bring to the boil and as soon as it starts to bubble, add the bicarb and mix, removing from heat
– mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and add the butter mix, using your hands if need be to mix evenly.
– press the mixture into a greased roasting tin or swiss roll tin, getting the mixture to about ½ an inch thick.
– bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a couple minutes before cutting into squares. Allow to cool for a further 10 mins before removing from pan.
The good ol’ crunchie always a favourite. Have you put sliced almonds on the top. don’t forget to sometimes add ginger or cinnamon. yummy in your tummy!! lots of love your mummy
I must try the orange peel sounds really gooood.
your ever fascinated mook
Hello
I wanted to make your recipe but have got no idea what 1.5 “sticks” of butter are? What is that in grams?
thanks
Rose
Thanks, Rose. I seem to have converted my mind to a North American way of measuring. Your normal 1 pound or 500g block of butter is divided here into four sticks, for easier and more accurate division for baking, I presume.
1 stick is 125g
1 and a half sticks are about 185 – 190g
Hope that helps!
These seem the same as Australian Anzac biscuits. And my South African mom also makes them! What’s the connection?
From the Anzacs I’ve tasted in the UK they are similar but I think Anzac mixture must be more wet (?) and they are made into round biscuits whereas crunchies were always cut in squares in the baking tray…. Dunno what the connection is other than simple wholesome stuff easy for mums ( and now middle-aged men who still remember the simple pleasure!) to make…
Thanks for the recipe! Any one know a good one for the old fashioned flat topped Cape seed loaf…
I’m so impressed by your column! I was looking for a recipe for crunchies, having recently returned from SA and not being able to locate my mum’s, and came across Lick Your Own Bowl. I have now made your crunchies – Yum! – but want to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed reading your blogs and looking at your piccies. They are just as spectacular as your recipes. Comparisons are odious, but do you read Orangette? This is another foodie blog by another good writer with great photographs. All the best.
I was given the recipe for crunchies by another South African expat when my husband and I lived in Germany. Her recipe calls for using “yellow sugar” although I’ve always made them with granulated sugar. I am curious, however, exactly what yellow sugar is and how it might differ from regular granulated sugar. Any takers?
Karen, as far as I know Yellow Sugar is the same as what we call Golden Sugar here, in South Africa we have an unrefined golden sugar that is not sticky so it has the dry consistancy of normal white granulated sugar but it is not so refined and it has a natural sugar cane taste. Hope that helps. Oh, and thanks for the recipe – we lost my gran’s recipe in a flood in 2008 and my mom’s copy in a fire last year but this seems the most similar so going to bake some right now!
Funny…Americans swear by their silly brownies and chocolate chip cookies…if they only knew what they were missing.
More crunchies for the rest of us.
“Yellow sugar” also contains a small amount of yellow colourant to make it yellower than ordinary “golden” sugar.
Thank you for this! I am a South African, and am currently living in the UK. Decided this evening I want to bake some of our good old crunchie cookies. You mostly find variations online, yours is the South African one! Going to give this a try. Thanks!
Does “bicarb” mean “baking soda”?
Hello
I wanted to make these crunchies, but I’m a little confused. when you say you need 1tsp. bicarb. are you talking about bicarbonate soda? please clarify. thank you.
am sure my home recipe (don’t have it with me) did nto have coconut in it – hate dessicated coconut.can i leave that out and put raisins or something in instead (or leave them out too?) scared to just mess with recipes as my UK oven does not seem to bake the same as SA!