Crunchies- South African Oatmeal Bar- Nutty, buttery, Sweet, and Crunchy – quite a treat these little wonders.
If you are one of those that dislike granola bars – I am going to say give this will make you a convert. They beat granola bar hands down. What sets them apart is the flavor- they are sweet, salty, crunchy, spicy, buttery and Naughty- How about Coconuttty?
Do you fall under the 1% that’s not addicted to sugar but still try some of my sugary recipes, guess what? This crunchy bar is for you, too! Yes, a sweet oatmeal bar that appeals to both the sugar addicts and the healthy peeps! My kind of peeps – just so you know, I fall under both categories.
They are also very adaptable for the healthy peeps- throw in some pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and raisins. I have been playing around with gluten free flour and made a batch with rice flour and it worked out great- so if you want a gluten free snack, switch up the flour with rice flour.
All the guilt of these crunchies could be off set the by using some of the afore mentioned ingredients. Double up on these during this valentine season and pass it on.
If you want super crunchy bars make them slightly thinner and bake until they are golden brown.
Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Enjoy!
Crunchies
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (170g) butter
- 1½ tablespoons golden syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar
- ½-1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dried shredded coconut
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds
- 1½ cups oats
- 1¼ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Prepare an 8x8 or 9x13 baking pan/sheet if you want thin crunchies. Grease or spray with cooking oil. Set aside.
- Melt butter, syrup, brown sugar, sugar, and salt in a saucepan until completely melted. You may do this in a microwave-safe bowl. Then add baking soda and mix.
- Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl – oatmeal, flour, coconut, sliced almonds, and spices. Thoroughly mix.
- Pour the butter mixture into the bowl of oatmeal mixture and mix well.
- Press the mixture into the greased baking pan. You can use parchment paper to smooth it out.
- Start baking at 325℉ (160℃) for 10-15 minutes, then finish at 300℉ (150℃) for another 10 minutes or until golden brown, depending on your oven. Start checking after 20 minutes. Remove, let it cool completely, then cut into squares and serve. It will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.
Tips & Notes:
- The recipe was updated from 8 ounces of butter to 6 ounces. I've tried it several times with less butter, and it works great.
- You can increase the baking time by about ten more minutes to get it really crunchy.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Nutrition Information:
daniel says
Hi Do you have a sugar free recipe for this
can use coconut oats flour butter honey but the sugar part how can I change
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Daniel,Sorry I don’t have one for this yet.
jeff says
Hi, the sugar crystallization plays a hi role in the crunchiness
Mary Boyce says
Love crunchiest but often find that mine are crumbling..what should I add or take out?
ImmaculateBites says
Less butter might help , also remove and freeze before cutting .
Yul says
I added 1/4 cup oil to my mixture. Everything was intact
Danièle Pinard says
Contente d’avoir trouvé cette recette pour un repas à thème sur l’Afrique du Sud. C’était très bon et les invités ont demandé la recette.
Mantombi Lekhuleni says
Hi, lovely recipe. How can i reduce the sugar required in the recipe, as i have sugar problems?
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks ! Just cut it in half.
Fiona says
You can also replace some of the sugar with chopped dates….
Violet says
Bless you for a jump to recipe button. Unlike other food bloggers you realize it’s the recipe curation that keeps busy cooks coming back – not forcing me to read an anecdotal long intro that might not be relatable to me , or having to scroll past multiple ad sections. Africans. Do. It. BETTER.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Violet! Happy to hear the jump to recipe button works best for you! Thanks for letting me know.
Douglas hunt says
this reminds me of long long ago when i grew up in south Africa i was born there and have had this very good crunchie made by my mother as a child and then me sailing around the world on my yacht i lost this recipe and now am most grateful to have retrieved this truly south African snack thanking you sincerely Doug hunt
ImmaculateBites says
So glad to hear it brings you such fond memories! Hope this is a keeper for you.
Deb says
I haven’t seen any comments on the type of oatmeal that works the best. I have both quick cooking and original rolled oats for use in different recipes. Thank you.
Immaculate Bites says
Hello Deb! Both types of oats that you have works perfectly fine with the crunchies. Just follow the ingredients measurement and instructions for best results.:) Enjoy!
Samantha says
Salted or un-salted butter?
ImmaculateBites says
unsalted butter. I always use un-salted butter so I can control the amount of salt that goes into a recipe.
Samantha says
Thank you so much!
Lu says
Hi,
Please give the 8×8 baking sheet diameters in cms? I suppose when you say 8×8, you’re speaking inches?
Also, don’t have sliced almonds on hand, only walnuts. Would the walnuts work too?
Thanks,
Lu
ImmaculateBites says
Yes, am talking about inches. And Yes to walnuts, they would do just fine.
Sheryl and Terence Jorden says
Hi,
My Wife is diabetic (type 2).
Just a couple of observations and questions after three attempts at getting it right first time:-
1)The crunche is soft, does not fall apart, is not as a crunche should be.
2) Where does one buy the shreddered coconut, we have been using flaked coconut.
3) What is the flower one should use, we have been using self raising flower.
4) We baked at 180 degrees celsius for 15minutes, followed by 160 degrees celsius for another 15minutes.
It really looks awesome, we wait for it to cool down and cut, only to be disappointed at the softness.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Terence,
Here are some suggestions for you. Also keep in mind that this recipe has sugar in it.
-Consider increasing baking time by another 10 minutes or more. Lower the temperature if needed to ensure it doesn’t burn especially on the edges.
-Shredded coconut is available in most super markets depending on your location
-It’s best to use regular (all purpose flour) for this recipe.
Hope this helps
Debbie says
I am looking forward to making this our picnic but….not a fan of coconut in things like this, is there anything else to replace it with, or can I just leave it out and get the same results?
ImmaculateBites says
You can leave it out and add replace with more nuts or almonds
Antoinette says
If I leave out the coconut would I have to increase oats?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes you would have too- try replacing with 3/4 cup oats.
Peta says
Hi
Please would you consider changing the measurement from ounces to grams or even cups/teaspoons etc.
Thanks
ImmaculateBites says
Updated Peta!!!
Fraugal lentigo says
Yes. Doesn’t it annoy the pants off you when people don’t use imodern, international, global, commonly used measurements? And if the blogger is not American, why the cultural cringe?
Moyra says
Can you freeze these bars?
ImmaculateBites says
You sure can.Tightly wrap or cover before freezing, then reheat in the oven, to desired crispness when you are ready to eat.
resheena says
Though I like the recipe, I can’t understand why you use American units of measure (ounce). Now if I want to use this recipe I have to convert the measurements first. I thought this was an African site.
Nagi@RecipeTin Eats says
Ooh, I love this! I don’t see many bar recipes with golden syrup, it is an Australian thing I thought. And UK. We don’t have molasses here. So I have all the ingredients for this! 🙂
tolu says
yay another lovely recipe i am definitely going to try this but with peanut instead of almond bcos it is scarce and expensive in this part of naija.i made klako last week it came out very beautiful and i have chinchin dough in d fridge i have made it for d ompthinth… time with different variations .a question please am i to use fresh grated coconut for the bars thanks Maam
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks Tolu, glad you liked the klako. I wish you could send me some of that chin chin right now – am craving it. I used dry shredded coconut, have never tried it with fresh coconut.