Crunchies aka South African Crunchies

I'm always on a quest to use items I have on hand to create something yummy.  After having one of those moments I have on occasion, when I feel I should really be eating more oatmeal for the health of it, but also having come to terms with the fact that I don't like the hot breakfast cereal version, I decided that a nice chewy granola type bar would be right up my alley.

There are many versions of this treat, known as South African Crunchies.  I'm not sure if other versions are actually crunchy or if that is just what they are taditionally called (anyone know? please fill me in!), mine are more chewy, which I love.  And, I love the fact that I don't need an electric mixer.  The mixture can be stirred up with a big ol' spoon (meaning I can whip this up when I'm having a late night snack attack without waking up everyone in the house with the whirring of my mixer! Shhhh...)

This is the recipe I made:

Crunchies

2 cups of oats*

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup coconut***

1 cup butter (2 sticks/16 tbsp)**

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp baking soda

Preheat your oven to 325° (Fahrenheit).  Grease a 13" X 9" pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, flour and coconut.  Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat.  When melted, add in sugar and honey, stirring occasionally. Bring mixture to a bubble then stir in baking soda and remove from heat.  (Mixture will get frothy.)  Add to dry ingredients and stir until well combined.  Using a spatula or spoon, press the mixture in the pan in an even layer.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool, then slice and enjoy!  

Notes~

* I used 1 cup instant and 1 cup of old fashioned oats, but I wouldn't hesitate to try all of one or the other. 

** I used what was left on the papers that my sticks of butter was wrapped in.

*** I used sweetened coconut.

>>> In the future, I may experiment by adding ingredients like chocolate or white chips for a fun twist.

Have you made a version of South African Crunchies? Or if you try this one, I would love to hear about it, along with any tips you may have.

Thanks for stopping by! ~TJ