Easy Chocolate Crunchies

Chocolate crunchies are a South African classic — but this version is a little more indulgent than traditional crunchies! Made with a base of oats, coconut, cocoa and flour, the crunchies are baked until golden, then left to cool completely before being topped with the most delicious silky chocolate icing.

Chocolate crunchies are one of those recipes you’ll want to keep safely tucked away in your recipe box or book of special recipes. It’s a recipe to hand down—the kind people will ask you to bring to a family tea, baby shower or kitchen tea.

It’s a recipe to print and keep.

They remind me a lot of eating marshmallow easter eggs – it’s difficult to just eat one. I feel like I need to eat these in pairs or threes. Anyone with me on that?

My kids have recently discovered these little treats but insist on calling them brownies, which somehow evokes a surprisingly strong reaction in me. “No. They are crunchies. They are chocolate crunchies, and they will always be CRUNCHIES. Crunchiiiiies!”

I’ll admit, I can be a bit of a chocolate crunchie snob because they need to be a certain way. The icing should be silky and firm enough to set, while still soft and fudgy when you bite into it — and we certainly don’t want a layer of actual melted chocolate on top!

The crunchie itself shouldn’t be overly crumbly, nor should it be so hard that you risk losing a tooth. It needs to sit somewhere beautifully in between: slightly chewy, satisfyingly crunchy and topped with soft, fudgy chocolate icing.

And this recipe ticks every single box.

Top Tips for Perfect Chocolate Crunchies

1. Mix the wet and dry ingredients thoroughly

Melt the butter, syrup and sugar together until beautifully smooth and the sugar has dissolved. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and combine everything really well. This ensures that you don’t end up biting into pockets of dry flour or oats once the crunchies are baked.

2. Use the correct-sized baking tin

I used a baking tin measuring approximately 27 x 20cm, which produced crunchies with the perfect thickness. A larger tin will give you thinner crunchies, while a smaller tin will make them thicker and may affect the baking time.

3. Line the tin with baking paper

Line your tin with baking paper, leaving a little hanging over the sides to act as handles. Keep the crunchies in the lined tin while adding the icing. Once everything has cooled and set, you can lift the whole slab out easily before cutting it into squares.

4. Adjust the baking time to suit your preference

Bake the crunchies for 18–20 minutes. For slightly softer, chewier crunchies, bake them for around 18 minutes. If you prefer them firmer and crunchier, leave them in for closer to 20 minutes.

5. Don’t worry if they initially feel soft

The crunchies may still feel quite soft when they first come out of the oven, but they will firm up as they cool. Avoid baking them for longer simply because they don’t feel crisp straight away.

6. Cool completely before icing

Allow the crunchies to cool completely in the tin before spreading the chocolate icing over the top.

7. Let the icing set before slicing

Once iced, leave the crunchies somewhere cool and safely out of reach of anyone tempted to fiddle with them! Allow the icing to cool and set completely before lifting the slab from the tin and cutting it into squares.

Ingredients Needed

• oats  
• plain flour  
• desiccated coconut  
• cocoa powder  
• butter (i used salted but you can use either)
• golden syrup  
• sugar  
• bicarbonate of soda  
• icing sugar  
• vanilla essence
• hot water

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