Australian Crunch Bars (with a Gluten Free Version)
Australian Crunch Bars are not an Australian treat, but British. A lightly baked oat, cornflake and chocolate concoction will be welcomed with a cup of tea.
Australian Crunch isn’t Australian at all, but a British teatime treat.
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Not Australian? Who knew?
I learned about Australian crunch bars from my friend Lucinda from The Bee’s Knees British Imports. We found each other online because of our British connections, and Lucinda and her lovely family even came to visit me when they were in LA! It seems that no one knows why this recipe is named after Australia, but it doesn’t really matter. They are fantastic, so who cares what they’re called. 😍
Another recipe named Australian Almond Bread (but it’s not Australian)!
This treat has to be one of the easiest recipes conceived, because all you have to do is melt some butter, stir in some ingredients and then pop them in the oven in a baking tray! A two year old could make these, but everyone seems to enjoy them.
I have made about five batches for this post as I’ve been tweaking the recipe and even discovered that a gluten free version tastes exactly the same as the original! I’ve passed them out to lots of neighbors and the consensus is “two thumbs up”!
It’s crunchy, chocolatey, crispy and not overly sweet, as you might think. I love that I can make it for my celiac friends now, too, since I’ve discovered it passes my “doesn’t-taste-gluten-free test” when I make it with rice flour or gluten-free baking mix.
In addition to introducing me to this recipe, Lucinda and her partner, Donna, have agreed to provide three lovely items for a giveaway on my site along with a discount code (scroll down for the code)!
If you know anyone who is an Anglophile, you’ll love the selection of products and gifts that The Bee’s Knees have available: Emma Bridgewater, Dunoon, Burleigh and many other top quality British companies. They sell tea towels to tea pots, so many mugs, posters, prints, tins, and more! Just check out their site as I bet there’s something you’ll want to put on your Christmas wish list (or give for someone else’s)!
Here are the three whimsical Milly Green items (a tea towel, mug and passport holder) which one lucky reader will have sent to them ($41 value). Too bad I can’t enter! I love these~ CONTEST HAS ENDED.
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Australian Crunch Bars
adapted from a recipe from the Be-Ro Cookbook and a Jamie Oliver forum Makes 18
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- (2/3 c ) 5 oz butter
- (3/4 c) 5 oz sugar
- (4 c) 5 oz corn flakes (I’ve used rice krispies, too)
- (1 1/2 c) 5 oz shredded coconut (I use organic, only coconut)
- (1 1/4 c) 6 oz flour (use rice flour or GF baking mix for gluten free version)
- 2 tbsp good quality cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- (1 1/4 c) 10 oz chocolate (good quality, semi-sweet)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)
Place the butter in a large pot over low heat.
Roughly crush the cornflakes with the bottom of a glass or ramekin and put into a bowl along with all the other dry ingredients, except for the chocolate. Check the butter in the pot and remove from heat when it has completely melted.
Add the bowl of dry ingredients to the butter in the pot and stir until well mixed.
Place mixture into a 8×8 baking pan and press down with the back of a wooden spoon until completely even.
Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in tray.
When cool, melt the chocolate and spread over the Australian Crunch while it is still in the pan. Allow chocolate to set (I put mine in the fridge for a little while).
When the chocolate has set, run a knife along the edges, then cut into bars with a heavy knife. When I loosened the edges, the entire dessert came out of the pan easily; alternatively, just cut it while it’s still in the pan.
Serve with a nice hot cup of tea (preferably served in a real British, bone china mug)!
For a 15% discount, enter CUCINA15 when you place your order.
GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED
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Australian Crunch Bars
Ingredients
- 5 oz butter
- ¾ cup sugar
- 4 cups corn flakes (I've used rice krispies, too)
- 1 ½ cups shredded coconut (unsweetend, organic coconut)
- 1 ¼ cups flour (use rice flour or GF baking mix for gluten free version)
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened, good quality)
- 1 ¼ cups chocolate (semi-sweet, good quality)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)
- Place the butter in a large pot over low heat.
- Roughly crush the cornflakes with the bottom of a glass or ramekin and put into a bowl along with all the other dry ingredients, except for the chocolate.
- Check the butter in the pan and remove from heat when it has completely melted.
- Add the bowl of dry ingredients to the butter in the pot and stir until well mixed. Place mixture into a 9x9 inch baking tray and press down with the back of a wooden spoon until completely even.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in tray.
- When cool, melt the chocolate and spread over the Australian Crunch while it is still in the pan. Allow chocolate to set (I put it in the fridge for a little while).
- When the chocolate has set, run a knife along the edges, then cut into bars. When I loosened the edges, the entire dessert came out of the pan easily. If it doesn't, just cut it while it's still in the pan.
Notes
- Leave the chocolate coating off the top for a less-sweet option.
Nutrition
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Just wondering if you realize your “cup” equivalents are WAY off. I’ll try it with the ounces.
The sites I’ve checked say: 5 oz butter is only 2/3 cup. 5 oz sugar is 2/3 cup. 5 oz corn flakes is 5 1/8 cup. 6 oz flour is 1 1/3 cup. Just thought I’d let you know!
Hi Mary, thanks for catching the butter error! That is a definite mistake and I’ve fixed it, however, all the other ingredients are correct (I measure the ingredients myself and weighed them). This is the exact reason I push for everyone to use a scale. If I could remove all cup measurements from my site I would! They are so inaccurate for baking. Please do use the weighed measurements for this recipe. Thanks again! CC
The reason these crunch bars are Australian, is because they are based on the famous ANZAC Biscuit ( or Cookie) from Australia and New Zealand they came about in 1915, as a contribution to give a little comfort from home to the thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers who along with Canadians and Brittish troops were fighting the Germans during World War I. They were nutricious and were packable and could survive the long trip to Europe and beyond. To this day families send their loved ones Anzac Biscuits . They have a special Commemoration on April 25th Named for the soldiers who died, and for the Veterans : Anzac Day. This is similar to the Rememberance Day Memorials we have in Canada on November 11, when almost all Canadians wear a Red Poppy in honour of our slain soldiers and Veterans. You may have heard of the famous poem ” In Flander’s Fields the Poppies Grow …” by Canadian Doctor and Lieut.-Colonel John McCrae, who died in France on January28,1918,after four yearsof service on the Western Front. You can find an excellent, and well researched account and a recipe for the Anzac Biscuit (Australian, New Zealand Army Corps) on a web site called: 196 Flavors.com by Mike Benayoun. Also in Anita Stewart’s Canadian Baking Book, and Google have information about this National Treasure – which was inspired by the olden days of our Scottish ancestors’ oat cakes.
Thanks, Lorraine. I’ve made ANZAC biscuits many times and know all about their history, however, I’m confused on how these are similar? Besides containing coconut, there is very little in common, especially given there are no oats in these bars. They are also prominently chocolate flavored and as you know, there is no chocolate in ANZAC biscuits. Just wondering if there’s another reason they’re called Australian.
These sound like a version of rice Krispy treats, but better! The layer of chocolate is perfect!
Yes, without the flour, it could easily be a no-cook recipe!
Wow – these do sound a little too easy… and dangerous! (I can’t wait to be home to my computer!!)