Coconut crisps – a School Dinners recipe

Not all of the original recipes have made it into the new version of Good Old Fashioned School Dinners. This recipe for a Rice Crispy chewy bar had to fall by the wayside. It is however a great recipe, ideal for as a treat during the school holidays, and it’s cheap to make. You can add the coconut if you want. Jazz it up with some dried fruit, or be a really kind mum and add chocolate chips and a chocolate drizzle. I’m not, so I didn’t!

Coconut crisps 

A tray of Coconut crisp.

Keeping your mouth shut was always a problem. In class you were expected to stay quite unless answering a question. Very rarely did you get into groups to discuss anything. You thought twice about asking to borrow your friends pencil in case you were accused of disrupting the lesson. On the rare occasions that you did have a sneaky chat you would invariably get caught. Just as you whispered some vital and very private piece of news to your friend the teacher would say, “Would you like to share that with the rest of the class?” Almost certainly the answer would be “no”.

Gossip also travelled around the playground faster than nits in the classroom. As soon as your friend said “don’t tell anyone but” you mentally made a list of the people who need to know this vital piece of tittle tattle.

Not so much crisp as dense and chewy. These sticky treats were served with tangy yogurt or stewed fruit. Coconut crisps were presented as wedges so big it made it almost impossible to open your mouth wide enough to pass on any juicy pieces of gossip. Somehow or other I always managed it.

Ingredients

200g golden syrup

100g powdered milk

25g desiccated coconut

100g butter or margarine

200g Rice Krispies

How to …

• In a large pan melt the butter or margarine and the syrup together.
• Add the sieved dried milk and coconut and stir well.
• Bring up to simmering point and barely simmer for 15 minutes or until the mixture turns to a darker golden brown. Keep stirring all the time

Starting colour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finishing colour after 15 minutes.

 

• Allow to cool for a few minutes.
• Place the Rice Krispies in a large bowl and add the slightly cooled coconut mixture. Stir well.
• Press into a baking tray about 12” by 7” and mark out bars.
• Cool and cut following bar markings.

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