When I was at school we had a hot, 2-course meal at noon every day.
About once per term the following was served up with a chocolate custard
and was always considered a special treat. My Mother knew the head cook
who, after she retired (along with the closure of the school) scaled
down the recipe and gave a copy to Mum along with one of the original
baking tins. Mum made this for many years but never got it quite right
- but I hadn't the heart to tell her. Hers was a bit too thick and
cakey. Traditionally it was thin and very crunchy, often leading to
pieces flying across the school dining room when eager schoolboys tried
to break it up with their spoons rather than their forks.

CHOCOLATE CRUNCH

6oz plain flour 175g (cake flour is preferable to AP)
6oz Self Raising flour 175g
6oz sugar 175g
1oz cocoa 30g (60g is better)
6oz margarine or butter 175g (I use butter)
A few drops vanilla essence
1 large egg, beaten

Mix dry ingredients. Melt margarine or butter and add with the vanilla
and then the egg.
Mix and press firmly into a shallow baking tin (approx. 12€�x8€�/30x20cm)
Brush top with water and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake in a moderate oven until firm to touch. (150C/300F for about 30
minutes). For a more crunchy texture, bake for another few minutes. Cut
into 2€� squares while warm.

It is a relatively dry mixture and is easily made in a food processor.

I have modified it a bit to approach what I remember.

-Increase the cocoa to 60g/2oz (my notes indicate that I may have added
as much as 85g/3oz but that is too much I think).
-When you put it in the tin, press it down very firmly so that it is
really compacted to a thickness of about 3/8€� or 1 cm.

On Tue, 7 Nov 2017 12:20:56 -0700, graham > wrote:

>When I was at school we had a hot, 2-course meal at noon every day.
>About once per term the following was served up with a chocolate custard
>and was always considered a special treat. My Mother knew the head cook
>who, after she retired (along with the closure of the school) scaled
>down the recipe and gave a copy to Mum along with one of the original
>baking tins. Mum made this for many years but never got it quite right
>- but I hadn't the heart to tell her. Hers was a bit too thick and
>cakey. Traditionally it was thin and very crunchy, often leading to
>pieces flying across the school dining room when eager schoolboys tried
>to break it up with their spoons rather than their forks.
>
>CHOCOLATE CRUNCH
>
>6oz plain flour 175g (cake flour is preferable to AP)
>6oz Self Raising flour 175g
>6oz sugar 175g
>1oz cocoa 30g (60g is better)
>6oz margarine or butter 175g (I use butter)
>A few drops vanilla essence
>1 large egg, beaten
>
>Mix dry ingredients. Melt margarine or butter and add with the vanilla
>and then the egg.
>Mix and press firmly into a shallow baking tin (approx. 12”x8”/30x20cm)
>Brush top with water and sprinkle with sugar.
>Bake in a moderate oven until firm to touch. (150C/300F for about 30
>minutes). For a more crunchy texture, bake for another few minutes. Cut
>into 2” squares while warm.
>
>It is a relatively dry mixture and is easily made in a food processor.
>
>I have modified it a bit to approach what I remember.
>
>-Increase the cocoa to 60g/2oz (my notes indicate that I may have added
>as much as 85g/3oz but that is too much I think).
>-When you put it in the tin, press it down very firmly so that it is
>really compacted to a thickness of about 3/8” or 1 cm.
>
this sounds like fun. I may try this later in the month. thanks
Janet US

On 2017-11-07 12:25 PM, U.S. Janet B. wrote:
> On Tue, 7 Nov 2017 12:20:56 -0700, graham > wrote:
>
>> When I was at school we had a hot, 2-course meal at noon every day.
>> About once per term the following was served up with a chocolate custard
>> and was always considered a special treat. My Mother knew the head cook
>> who, after she retired (along with the closure of the school) scaled
>> down the recipe and gave a copy to Mum along with one of the original
>> baking tins. Mum made this for many years but never got it quite right
>> - but I hadn't the heart to tell her. Hers was a bit too thick and
>> cakey. Traditionally it was thin and very crunchy, often leading to
>> pieces flying across the school dining room when eager schoolboys tried
>> to break it up with their spoons rather than their forks.
>>
>> CHOCOLATE CRUNCH
>>
>> 6oz plain flour 175g (cake flour is preferable to AP)
>> 6oz Self Raising flour 175g
>> 6oz sugar 175g
>> 1oz cocoa 30g (60g is better)
>> 6oz margarine or butter 175g (I use butter)
>> A few drops vanilla essence
>> 1 large egg, beaten
>>
>> Mix dry ingredients. Melt margarine or butter and add with the vanilla
>> and then the egg.
>> Mix and press firmly into a shallow baking tin (approx. 12€�x8€�/30x20cm)
>> Brush top with water and sprinkle with sugar.
>> Bake in a moderate oven until firm to touch. (150C/300F for about 30
>> minutes). For a more crunchy texture, bake for another few minutes. Cut
>> into 2€� squares while warm.
>>
>> It is a relatively dry mixture and is easily made in a food processor.
>>
>> I have modified it a bit to approach what I remember.
>>
>> -Increase the cocoa to 60g/2oz (my notes indicate that I may have added
>> as much as 85g/3oz but that is too much I think).
>> -When you put it in the tin, press it down very firmly so that it is
>> really compacted to a thickness of about 3/8€� or 1 cm.
>>
> this sounds like fun. I may try this later in the month. thanks
> Janet US
>
My son asked me to make him some a while back then my grandson
discovered it and now wants me to teach him how to make it:-)
When my mother made it for my nephew, he would take it to school and
sell it to his class mates!!!
Graham

On 11/7/2017 12:20 PM, graham wrote:
> When I was at school we had a hot, 2-course meal at noon every day.
> About once per term the following was served up with a chocolate custard
> and was always considered a special treat.Â* My Mother knew the head cook
> who, after she retired (along with the closure of the school) scaled
> down the recipe and gave a copy to Mum along with one of the original
> baking tins.Â* Mum made this for many years but never got it quite right
> - but I hadn't the heart to tell her.Â* Hers was a bit too thick and
> cakey.Â* Traditionally it was thin and very crunchy, often leading to
> pieces flying across the school dining room when eager schoolboys tried
> to break it up with their spoons rather than their forks.
>
> CHOCOLATE CRUNCH
>
> 6oz plain flour 175g (cake flour is preferable to AP)
> 6oz Self Raising flour 175g
> 6oz sugar 175g
> 1oz cocoa 30g (60g is better)
> 6oz margarine or butter 175g (I use butter)
> A few drops vanilla essence
> 1 large egg, beaten
>
> Mix dry ingredients.Â* Melt margarine or butter and add with the vanilla
> and then the egg.
> Mix and press firmly into a shallow baking tin (approx. 12€�x8€�/30x20cm)
> Brush top with water and sprinkle with sugar.
> Bake in a moderate oven until firm to touch. (150C/300F for about 30
> minutes). For a more crunchy texture, bake for another few minutes. Cut
> into 2€� squares while warm.
>
> It is a relatively dry mixture and is easily made in a food processor.
>
> I have modified it a bit to approach what I remember.
>
> -Increase the cocoa to 60g/2oz (my notes indicate that I may have added
> as much as 85g/3oz but that is too much I think).
> -When you put it in the tin, press it down very firmly so that it is
> really compacted to a thickness of aboutÂ* 3/8€� or 1 cm.
>
>


Does it come out looking like this:

https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/me...ate-crunch.jpg

If so, good stuff.

On Tue, 7 Nov 2017 12:31:16 -0700, graham > wrote:

>On 2017-11-07 12:25 PM, U.S. Janet B. wrote:
>> On Tue, 7 Nov 2017 12:20:56 -0700, graham > wrote:
>>
>>> When I was at school we had a hot, 2-course meal at noon every day.
>>> About once per term the following was served up with a chocolate custard
>>> and was always considered a special treat. My Mother knew the head cook
>>> who, after she retired (along with the closure of the school) scaled
>>> down the recipe and gave a copy to Mum along with one of the original
>>> baking tins. Mum made this for many years but never got it quite right
>>> - but I hadn't the heart to tell her. Hers was a bit too thick and
>>> cakey. Traditionally it was thin and very crunchy, often leading to
>>> pieces flying across the school dining room when eager schoolboys tried
>>> to break it up with their spoons rather than their forks.
>>>
>>> CHOCOLATE CRUNCH
>>>
>>> 6oz plain flour 175g (cake flour is preferable to AP)
>>> 6oz Self Raising flour 175g
>>> 6oz sugar 175g
>>> 1oz cocoa 30g (60g is better)
>>> 6oz margarine or butter 175g (I use butter)
>>> A few drops vanilla essence
>>> 1 large egg, beaten
>>>
>>> Mix dry ingredients. Melt margarine or butter and add with the vanilla
>>> and then the egg.
>>> Mix and press firmly into a shallow baking tin (approx. 12”x8”/30x20cm)
>>> Brush top with water and sprinkle with sugar.
>>> Bake in a moderate oven until firm to touch. (150C/300F for about 30
>>> minutes). For a more crunchy texture, bake for another few minutes. Cut
>>> into 2” squares while warm.
>>>
>>> It is a relatively dry mixture and is easily made in a food processor.
>>>
>>> I have modified it a bit to approach what I remember.
>>>
>>> -Increase the cocoa to 60g/2oz (my notes indicate that I may have added
>>> as much as 85g/3oz but that is too much I think).
>>> -When you put it in the tin, press it down very firmly so that it is
>>> really compacted to a thickness of about 3/8” or 1 cm.
>>>
>> this sounds like fun. I may try this later in the month. thanks
>> Janet US
>>
>My son asked me to make him some a while back then my grandson
>discovered it and now wants me to teach him how to make it:-)
>When my mother made it for my nephew, he would take it to school and
>sell it to his class mates!!!
>Graham

a budding entrepreneur! ;-)
Janet US

On 2017-11-07 1:33 PM, Casa de los peregrinos wrote:
> On 11/7/2017 12:20 PM, graham wrote:
>> When I was at school we had a hot, 2-course meal at noon every day.
>> About once per term the following was served up with a chocolate
>> custard and was always considered a special treat.Â* My Mother knew the
>> head cook who, after she retired (along with the closure of the
>> school) scaled down the recipe and gave a copy to Mum along with one
>> of the original baking tins.Â* Mum made this for many years but never
>> got it quite right - but I hadn't the heart to tell her.Â* Hers was a
>> bit too thick and cakey.Â* Traditionally it was thin and very crunchy,
>> often leading to pieces flying across the school dining room when
>> eager schoolboys tried to break it up with their spoons rather than
>> their forks.
>>
>> CHOCOLATE CRUNCH
>>
>> 6oz plain flour 175g (cake flour is preferable to AP)
>> 6oz Self Raising flour 175g
>> 6oz sugar 175g
>> 1oz cocoa 30g (60g is better)
>> 6oz margarine or butter 175g (I use butter)
>> A few drops vanilla essence
>> 1 large egg, beaten
>>
>> Mix dry ingredients.Â* Melt margarine or butter and add with the
>> vanilla and then the egg.
>> Mix and press firmly into a shallow baking tin (approx. 12€�x8€�/30x20cm)
>> Brush top with water and sprinkle with sugar.
>> Bake in a moderate oven until firm to touch. (150C/300F for about 30
>> minutes). For a more crunchy texture, bake for another few minutes.
>> Cut into 2€� squares while warm.
>>
>> It is a relatively dry mixture and is easily made in a food processor.
>>
>> I have modified it a bit to approach what I remember.
>>
>> -Increase the cocoa to 60g/2oz (my notes indicate that I may have
>> added as much as 85g/3oz but that is too much I think).
>> -When you put it in the tin, press it down very firmly so that it is
>> really compacted to a thickness of aboutÂ* 3/8€� or 1 cm.
>>
>>
>
>
> Does it come out looking like this:
>
> https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/me...ate-crunch.jpg
>
>
> If so, good stuff.
No, but that looks good. The surface should have a very thin skin of
white where the sprinkled sugar has dissolved as well as some obvious
sugar grains.
Graham

On 2017-11-07 1:33 PM, Casa de los peregrinos wrote:
> On 11/7/2017 12:20 PM, graham wrote:
>> When I was at school we had a hot, 2-course meal at noon every day.
>> About once per term the following was served up with a chocolate
>> custard and was always considered a special treat.Â* My Mother knew the
>> head cook who, after she retired (along with the closure of the
>> school) scaled down the recipe and gave a copy to Mum along with one
>> of the original baking tins.Â* Mum made this for many years but never
>> got it quite right - but I hadn't the heart to tell her.Â* Hers was a
>> bit too thick and cakey.Â* Traditionally it was thin and very crunchy,
>> often leading to pieces flying across the school dining room when
>> eager schoolboys tried to break it up with their spoons rather than
>> their forks.
>>
>> CHOCOLATE CRUNCH
>>
>> 6oz plain flour 175g (cake flour is preferable to AP)
>> 6oz Self Raising flour 175g
>> 6oz sugar 175g
>> 1oz cocoa 30g (60g is better)
>> 6oz margarine or butter 175g (I use butter)
>> A few drops vanilla essence
>> 1 large egg, beaten
>>
>> Mix dry ingredients.Â* Melt margarine or butter and add with the
>> vanilla and then the egg.
>> Mix and press firmly into a shallow baking tin (approx. 12€�x8€�/30x20cm)
>> Brush top with water and sprinkle with sugar.
>> Bake in a moderate oven until firm to touch. (150C/300F for about 30
>> minutes). For a more crunchy texture, bake for another few minutes.
>> Cut into 2€� squares while warm.
>>
>> It is a relatively dry mixture and is easily made in a food processor.
>>
>> I have modified it a bit to approach what I remember.
>>
>> -Increase the cocoa to 60g/2oz (my notes indicate that I may have
>> added as much as 85g/3oz but that is too much I think).
>> -When you put it in the tin, press it down very firmly so that it is
>> really compacted to a thickness of aboutÂ* 3/8€� or 1 cm.
>>
>>
>
>
> Does it come out looking like this:
>
> https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/me...ate-crunch.jpg
>
>
> If so, good stuff.
Actually, that looks like a base of chocolate crunch with a thick mousse
on top.

On 11/7/2017 1:58 PM, graham wrote:
> On 2017-11-07 1:33 PM, Casa de los peregrinos wrote:
>> On 11/7/2017 12:20 PM, graham wrote:
>>> When I was at school we had a hot, 2-course meal at noon every day.
>>> About once per term the following was served up with a chocolate
>>> custard and was always considered a special treat.Â* My Mother knew
>>> the head cook who, after she retired (along with the closure of the
>>> school) scaled down the recipe and gave a copy to Mum along with one
>>> of the original baking tins.Â* Mum made this for many years but never
>>> got it quite right - but I hadn't the heart to tell her.Â* Hers was a
>>> bit too thick and cakey.Â* Traditionally it was thin and very crunchy,
>>> often leading to pieces flying across the school dining room when
>>> eager schoolboys tried to break it up with their spoons rather than
>>> their forks.
>>>
>>> CHOCOLATE CRUNCH
>>>
>>> 6oz plain flour 175g (cake flour is preferable to AP)
>>> 6oz Self Raising flour 175g
>>> 6oz sugar 175g
>>> 1oz cocoa 30g (60g is better)
>>> 6oz margarine or butter 175g (I use butter)
>>> A few drops vanilla essence
>>> 1 large egg, beaten
>>>
>>> Mix dry ingredients.Â* Melt margarine or butter and add with the
>>> vanilla and then the egg.
>>> Mix and press firmly into a shallow baking tin (approx. 12€�x8€�/30x20cm)
>>> Brush top with water and sprinkle with sugar.
>>> Bake in a moderate oven until firm to touch. (150C/300F for about 30
>>> minutes). For a more crunchy texture, bake for another few minutes.
>>> Cut into 2€� squares while warm.
>>>
>>> It is a relatively dry mixture and is easily made in a food processor.
>>>
>>> I have modified it a bit to approach what I remember.
>>>
>>> -Increase the cocoa to 60g/2oz (my notes indicate that I may have
>>> added as much as 85g/3oz but that is too much I think).
>>> -When you put it in the tin, press it down very firmly so that it is
>>> really compacted to a thickness of aboutÂ* 3/8€� or 1 cm.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> Does it come out looking like this:
>>
>> https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/me...ate-crunch.jpg
>>
>>
>> If so, good stuff.
> No, but that looks good. The surface should have a very thin skin of
> white where the sprinkled sugar has dissolved as well as some obvious
> sugar grains.
> Graham


Ah Ha!

I will search for that or just whip one up and have at.

I think you posted a winner for sure.

Innit nice to see this group recipe itself back into relevance?

On 11/7/2017 1:59 PM, graham wrote:
> On 2017-11-07 1:33 PM, Casa de los peregrinos wrote:
>> On 11/7/2017 12:20 PM, graham wrote:
>>> When I was at school we had a hot, 2-course meal at noon every day.
>>> About once per term the following was served up with a chocolate
>>> custard and was always considered a special treat.Â* My Mother knew
>>> the head cook who, after she retired (along with the closure of the
>>> school) scaled down the recipe and gave a copy to Mum along with one
>>> of the original baking tins.Â* Mum made this for many years but never
>>> got it quite right - but I hadn't the heart to tell her.Â* Hers was a
>>> bit too thick and cakey.Â* Traditionally it was thin and very crunchy,
>>> often leading to pieces flying across the school dining room when
>>> eager schoolboys tried to break it up with their spoons rather than
>>> their forks.
>>>
>>> CHOCOLATE CRUNCH
>>>
>>> 6oz plain flour 175g (cake flour is preferable to AP)
>>> 6oz Self Raising flour 175g
>>> 6oz sugar 175g
>>> 1oz cocoa 30g (60g is better)
>>> 6oz margarine or butter 175g (I use butter)
>>> A few drops vanilla essence
>>> 1 large egg, beaten
>>>
>>> Mix dry ingredients.Â* Melt margarine or butter and add with the
>>> vanilla and then the egg.
>>> Mix and press firmly into a shallow baking tin (approx. 12€�x8€�/30x20cm)
>>> Brush top with water and sprinkle with sugar.
>>> Bake in a moderate oven until firm to touch. (150C/300F for about 30
>>> minutes). For a more crunchy texture, bake for another few minutes.
>>> Cut into 2€� squares while warm.
>>>
>>> It is a relatively dry mixture and is easily made in a food processor.
>>>
>>> I have modified it a bit to approach what I remember.
>>>
>>> -Increase the cocoa to 60g/2oz (my notes indicate that I may have
>>> added as much as 85g/3oz but that is too much I think).
>>> -When you put it in the tin, press it down very firmly so that it is
>>> really compacted to a thickness of aboutÂ* 3/8€� or 1 cm.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> Does it come out looking like this:
>>
>> https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/me...ate-crunch.jpg
>>
>>
>> If so, good stuff.
> Actually, that looks like a base of chocolate crunch with a thick mousse
> on top.

....which might not be bad addition either!

Thanks for posting this, I think my grandkids would enjoy it, and dh too. I
appreciate that you posted in both measurments too.

Cheri

"graham" > wrote in message
news
> When I was at school we had a hot, 2-course meal at noon every day. About
> once per term the following was served up with a chocolate custard and was
> always considered a special treat. My Mother knew the head cook who,
> after she retired (along with the closure of the school) scaled down the
> recipe and gave a copy to Mum along with one of the original baking tins.
> Mum made this for many years but never got it quite right - but I hadn't
> the heart to tell her. Hers was a bit too thick and cakey. Traditionally
> it was thin and very crunchy, often leading to pieces flying across the
> school dining room when eager schoolboys tried to break it up with their
> spoons rather than their forks.
>
> CHOCOLATE CRUNCH
>
> 6oz plain flour 175g (cake flour is preferable to AP)
> 6oz Self Raising flour 175g
> 6oz sugar 175g
> 1oz cocoa 30g (60g is better)
> 6oz margarine or butter 175g (I use butter)
> A few drops vanilla essence
> 1 large egg, beaten
>
> Mix dry ingredients. Melt margarine or butter and add with the vanilla
> and then the egg.
> Mix and press firmly into a shallow baking tin (approx.
> 12€�x8€�/30x20cm)
> Brush top with water and sprinkle with sugar.
> Bake in a moderate oven until firm to touch. (150C/300F for about 30
> minutes). For a more crunchy texture, bake for another few minutes. Cut
> into 2€� squares while warm.
>
> It is a relatively dry mixture and is easily made in a food processor.
>
> I have modified it a bit to approach what I remember.
>
> -Increase the cocoa to 60g/2oz (my notes indicate that I may have added as
> much as 85g/3oz but that is too much I think).
> -When you put it in the tin, press it down very firmly so that it is
> really compacted to a thickness of about 3/8€� or 1 cm.
>
>

On 2017-11-07 3:13 PM, Cheri wrote:
> Thanks for posting this, I think my grandkids would enjoy it, and dh
> too. I appreciate that you posted in both measurments too.
>
> Cheri
>
The original recipe comes from a time long before metric became the norm
in the UK.
I'm sure your grandchildren will like it instead of cookies.