Chocolate Crunchies

Hello friends, it has been a while! Are we counting down to Christmas already?The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster of ups and downs as we welcomed our new little boy to the world. It has been an absolute joy to enjoy newborn cuddles, watch the beginnings of sibling bonding and see friends arriving at the door with a meal in their hands (a definite highlight)! Unfortunately though, we have also had to contend with an awful bug that has been hanging around us for weeks, on top of the expected sleep deprivation and exhaustion (what day is it?). Yet here we are, 6 weeks later and I can happily report that we are all adjusting and starting to settle into our new "normal".

There has not been much time for anything other than looking after the kiddos lately, but determined to do a little bit of baking, I managed to make a batch of these moreish chocolate crunchies to enjoy with the family. Now, if I could just find another 10 hours in each day to do everything else...
I hope you enjoy this recipe! Look out for a new quick, snacky Christmas recipe that I will be posting soon.
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CHOCOLATE CRUNCHIES

Makes approximately 20 crunchies (depending on size)

1 cup (250ml) oats1/2 cup (125ml) plain flour1/2 cup (125ml) dessicated coconut3 tbsp (45ml) cocoa140g butter1 tbsp (15ml) golden syrup1/2 cup (125ml) light brown sugar1/2 tsp (2.5ml) bicarbIcing:1 cup (250ml) icing sugar1 tbsp (15ml) cocoa1 tbsp (15ml) butter1/4 tsp vanilla extract2 tbsp (30ml) hot water
Step 1.) Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease a 20cm square baking tin and line with baking paper. Combine the oats, flour, coconut and cocoa in a bowl. 
Step 2.) Place the butter, golden syrup and sugar in a small saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until the butter has melted and the ingredients are combined. Add the bicarb and stir well.
Step 3.) Pour the melted butter mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well to combine.  Scrape the mixture into the baking tin and use a spatula (or your hands if it is not too hot) to gently flatten into an even layer. 

Step 4.) Bake the crunchies for 20 minutes. They will be soft but will harden on cooling. Set the tin aside until the crunchies are completely cool. 

Step 5.) To make the icing: sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl. Melt the butter and add along with the vanilla extract and hot water. Stir to make a thick icing and spread over the cool crunchies. Leave to set, then cut into squares.