Recipe of the Quarter: Crunchies - Delicious South African oatmeal and coconut cookie bars
8/1/2013
Adapted from "Kook en Geniet" by S.J.A. de Villiers
Ingredients
- 4 cups (11.5 oz) oats (recommended: Quaker regular oats, not quick cooking)
- 3 cups (9 oz) unsweetened shredded coconut (recommended: Bob's Red Mill)
- 1 cup (4.5 oz) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup butter (salted)
- 3 tablespoons golden syrup or honey
- ¼ cup milk (just under ¼ cup, preferably low fat)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
Method
- Set the oven rack in the middle, and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Spray 10 x 15" jelly roll pan with canola oil spray.
- In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients (except for baking soda) very well.
- Melt butter and syrup (or honey) in a small bowl in the microwave - about 1 minute. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Stir baking soda into just under ¼ cup milk, making sure it dissolves completely.
- Add the cooled butter mixture and the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix very well with a spoon-or even better, just get in there with your hands! Make sure to incorporate dry ingredients at the bottom of the bowl.
- Distribute evenly on prepared baking sheet. Press down very well with the back of a flat spoon, or roll with a rolling pin. (I distribute and flatten a bit with the spoon and then use the rolling pin to compact and even out.) Push down any edges that come up with your fingers or the spoon.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown. Rotate pan after about 18 minutes. Keep an eye on them; if browning too quickly cover loosely with foil. And/or turn the oven down to 300 degrees F for the last five to ten minutes of baking. (The longer you bake them the crunchier they will get.)
- Remove from oven and set on wire cooling rack for 10 - 12 minutes. Cut while still warm into squares (about 2 inches), with a sharp, serrated knife-preferably with a round tip.
- Allow to cool completely before removing from pan. You might have to carefully run the knife through the cuts again before removing them.
- Can be kept in an airtight container for up to a week.