The Choccy Rocks or Choc Chip Cornflakes Biscuits are one of a zillion delicious, buonissimo, scrummy, yummy recipes from Mum’s cookbook collection. Mum, 76, or Nonna to her 20+ grandchildren — aged 30 to 7, has the honorary title of ‘World’s Best Cook’. Why? Because, you’ll often hear, as the grand-kids tuck into their second or third biscuit, ‘Nonna, you’re the best cook in the World!’  Hence, her prestigious world title. For that matter, her seven children, aged 56 to 42,  have loved her cooking for longer.

It was as far back as 1980 when Mum was only 40 years old, that she came across the Choccy Rocks recipe. She was grocery shopping at the, then locally owned Philip Leongs, Vincent Village, Townsville. This was before the proliferation of the giant supermarkets. She happened upon a food demonstration promoting, Dark Chocolate Bits. She tasted a sample of the Choc Chip Cornflakes Biscuit and liked the flavour and texture so much that 37 years on, it has become a family favourite in her extraordinary recipe repertoire.

Recipe Tips

When Mum bakes this recipe, she always makes ‘triple’ because she likes to have backups in the freezer. That is if they make it to the freezer when her kids and grandkids are around.

Also, Mum likes to experiment and modify the original recipe. When she added an extra 50g of chocolate bits and sultanas, the extra ingredients changed the balance of the mixture, which made it more crumbly as you bit into it. Or she’ll combine Chocolate Bit colours — dark, white and milk for effect and taste. Once again, the taste changes and the kids notice. The white choc bits are sweeter, whereas the dark chocolate has 40% cocoa for a contrasting flavour. Consider this when experimenting.  She also likes to plump her sultanas, if they are too dried out. The sultanas are submersed in hot water so they are less dried out. Depending on the brand, sultanas can be more or less drier, therefore may or may not need plumping. Below is the original recipe. Enjoy!

Photos of Process

Butter cubed and softening, beaten, raw sugar added and beaten

Egg added to butter mixture, beaten, plumping sultanas (soaking in water) crushing cornflakes by hand.

Levelling the flour in cup, sifting flour in bowl.

Scooping buttery mixture from bowl into flour. Draining plumped sultanas.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 250g butter (cubed to soften quicker)
• 1 cup raw sugar
• 1 tspn Vanilla extract (not essence/imitation)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sultanas (Mum prefers Sunbeam which don’t need plumping)
• 4 cups crushed cornflakes (2 cups in mixture + 2 cups to roll mixture balls)
• 2 cups SR flour
• 100g Dark Choc Bits (Mum prefers Cadbury)

Methods

1. Using Mixmaster, beat and add softened butter, raw sugar, vanilla extract and eggs, separately into same bowl.
2. While ingredients are being beaten with Mixmaster, place sultanas (for plumping) into a container and cover with hot tap water (10-15min)
3. Crush the cornflakes (use rolling pin or by hand while in plastic packet and later in tray)
4. Sift flour into bowl.
5. Drain plumped sultana — let sit to drain excess water
6. Add beaten butter mixture to sifted flour and fold by hand or wooden spoon
7. Mix flour into mixture evenly.
8. Add sultanas and choc bits in-between folding
9. Add 2 cups cornflakes and fold evenly into mixture.
10. Preheat oven to 180C
11. Place tablespoonful mixture into cornflake tray
12. Then roll in cornflakes and place on cooking tray.
13. Glad bake or spray optional because recipe has 250g butter.
14. Reduce oven to 150C
15. Place one tray in oven and cook for 20-25min — until golden.
16. Remove cooked biscuits, but let cool in tray until firm.
17. Place on wire rack for further cools.
18. Store excess biscuits in freezer in packs.

Adding choco bits, sultanas and crushed cornflakes. Mixing well.

Rolling mixture into balls. Coat the balls in crushed cornflakes. Placing cornflake coated balls on baking tray.

Close up of cornflake coated balls. Cooked Choccy Rock Biscuits, flatten themselves during cooking.

You too can enjoy delicious, buonissimo, scrummy, yummy Choccy Rocks like my family.