Crunchies (South African Oat and Coconut Bars)

There are two types of crunchies in South Africa. One is a baked oat and coconut bar flavoured with golden syrup. The other is a chocolate bar which consists of a honeycomb covered in milk chocolate. Both are deliciously delightful in their own way.

Crunchies (the baked biscuit bar that is) remind me of my childhood. They are a biscuit that was made in my family's kitchen, as well as my friend's and neighbours' family kitchens. These quick and easy biscuits were present at every bake sale. And very much like the Malva Pudding, every family has their own recipe.

Crunchies vs Anzac Biscuits

In my mind – they are pretty much the same biscuit, just formed differently. I had my suspicions the first time I tasted an Anzac biscuit here in New Zealand, way back in 2019.

My hand-written crunchie recipe that I have been using for decades now was very similar to the many Anzac Biscuit recipes I had looked at.

For the purpose of Salty Ginger – I stepped away from my handwritten and well-loved recipe to have a look at my 1978 copy of Cook and Enjoy It. Why you may ask? Well, I wanted to see what this classic recipe book had to offer in terms of a traditional crunchie recipe.

My hand-written crunchie recipe and the multitude of Anzac biscuit recipes I looked at called for a 1 to 1 to 1 ratio of flour, oats and coconut, in cups that is. The Cook and Enjoy It recipe called for a 1 to 4 to 3 ratio of flour, oats and coconut. I played around with the ratios and came up with something in between this recipe and mine because at the end of the day I wanted a biscuit or cookie and not a straight-up granola bar.

What I ended up with were the best South African crunchies recipes I could muster! Not as sweet tasting as my Anzac/Original Crunchie recipe, but equally delicious.

What You Need for this Recipe

Equipment

This recipe requires a few mixing bowls, a kitchen scale, and 9"x9" or 23x23cm cake or brownie tin, and some baking paper.

Ingredients

Rolled oats and desiccated coconut make the crunchie, giving the…you guessed it, the crunch.

Butter makes it better, but baking margarine will do fine.

The golden syrup adds a nice light syrup flavour but can be substituted with honey or maple syrup.

Milk or water to add a bit more liquid to the batter.

Baking soda can be replaced with an equal amount of baking powder.

White or brown sugar can be substituted for either in this recipe.

Note - crunchies are egg-free oat and coconut bars.

Substitutions/Variations

Substituting Plain/All-Purpose/Standard Grade Flour with Self-Raising/Self-Rising Flour: If a recipe calls for ½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of baking powder per cup/150 grams of plain flour, simply use self-raising flour and leave out the baking powder. For recipes that need more than 1 teaspoon of baking powder per cup (150 grams) - simply add in the additional baking per cup (150 grams).

For this recipe, I would substitute the flour gram for gram and remove the additional baking soda.

Salt is a crucial ingredient in all baked goods. I use table salt in all my recipes. One teaspoon of table salt equals 1.5 teaspoons of Morton Kosher Salt equals 2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal.

Making Crunchies

1 - Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan. Grease and line a baking sheet, slice tray or cake tin (about 23x23cm or 9"x9").

2 - Combine the flour, oats, coconut, sugars, cinnamon and salt in a mixing bowl.

3 - Melt the butter and golden syrup together either in the microwave or on the stovetop. Combine the baking soda and milk or water. Stir the baking soda mixture into the butter mixture.

4 - Pour the wet ingredient into the dry ingredients and stir well until combined. Press the biscuit mixture into the bottom of the prepared tin and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Rotate the tin halfway through the bake if needed.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing into 20 equal slices.

Pro Tips for this Recipe

You may need to rotate your biscuits halfway through, especially if your oven runs hot in a particular corner.

Slice the crunchies while they are still warm!

Weighing Ingredients

Weighing ingredients is more accurate than measuring cups overall, and this is my recommendation for my recipes as they are all developed and tested using grams only. However, I have activated the US customary conversions on the recipe card, these are based on generally accepted conversions. Cups are equal to 236mL/ 8 fluid ounces, tablespoons are 15mL and teaspoons are 5mL.

Measuring cups and spoons are an essential addition to every kitchen! Especially if you don't use a kitchen scale. Invest in a set to ensure you add the correct ingredients for accurate measuring. When in doubt - always use a level spoon or cup measure.

Fan-forced or fan-assisted oven temperature must be decreased by 20°C/25F. Use an oven thermometer to determine the accuracy of your oven dial. For best baking results invest in an oven thermometer.

Bakeware: Metal bakeware is superior when it comes to baking biscuits, cookies, brownies, muffins and quick bread, scones, cakes. These heat up and cool down faster than glassware. Glassware is heavier, heats up and cools down slower than metal and is more suited for bread puddings, pies, crisps, crumbles and cobblers.

All my recipes are currently tested at sea level.

Storage and Freezing

Crunchies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 weeks.

📖 Recipe

Crunchie (South African Oat and Coconut Bars)

Crunchies are a delicious, easy, traybake filled with oats, coconut and flavoured with golden syrup. This recipe whips up in a few minutes. If you love Anzac biscuits you will love these.

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

Total Time: 35 mins

Servings: 20 crunchies

Calories: 180kcal

Author: Mary-Lou

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Ingredients

0.5x1x2x

• 150 grams rolled oats
• 150 grams desiccated coconut
• 150 grams plain or standard grade flour
• 100 grams white or caster sugar
• 65 grams brown sugar
• 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 125 grams butter
• 90 grams golden syrup
• 4 tablespoon milk or water
• ½ teaspoon baking soda

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/390F. Grease and line a baking sheet, slice tray or cake tin (about 23x23cm or 9"x9").
• Combine the flour, oats, coconut, sugars, cinnamon and salt in a mixing bowl.
  150 grams rolled oats, 150 grams desiccated coconut, 150 grams plain or standard grade flour, 100 grams white or caster sugar, 65 grams brown sugar, 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional, ½ teaspoon salt
• Melt the butter and golden syrup together either in the microwave or on the stovetop.
  125 grams butter, 90 grams golden syrup
• Combine the baking soda and milk or water. Stir the baking soda mixture into the butter mixture.
  4 tablespoon milk or water, ½ teaspoon baking soda
• Pour the wet ingredient into the dry ingredients and stir well until combined. Press the biscuit mixture into the bottom of the prepared tin and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Rotate the tin halfway through the bake needed.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing into 20 equal slices.

Notes

Butter can be substituted with baking margarine or vegan alternatives.

Golden syrup can be substituted with honey or maple syrup.

Rolled oats can be substituted with steel-cut oats.

Baking soda can be replaced with an equal amount of baking powder.

White or brown sugar can be substituted for either in this recipe.

For fan-forced or fan-assisted ovens decrease the temperature by 20°C/25F.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 158mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g

Nutrition information is an estimate. If scaling the recipe remember to scale your cook and bakeware accordingly.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @marylou_saltyginger on Instagram and tag or #saltygingerblog so that I can see your creations!

Course :Dessert, Snack

Cuisine :South African

Keyword :coconut oat bars, crunchies, South African recipes, traybake