These Vegan Chocolate Crackles are crispy, chocolaty, and perfect for an afternoon sweet treat or evening dessert. They’re a terrific treat for holiday parties, too! Serve them on Halloween, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve! This easy to make recipe is dairy-free and gluten-free.
Chocolate Crackels
My dad was in the Air Force when I was young, and I grew up in various parts of the world. We lived in England for a few years when I was pretty small, in a little beach village on the North Sea, not too far from the base where he was stationed. We lived on the High Street, nestled between shops like the local newsagent, the Co-Op, and a small bookstore. Just a few doors down from us was a small bakery, and my mom and I would often pop in for a little afternoon snack. My favorite sweet treat was chocolate crackels, chocolatey clusters that were made with corn flakes. My mom found a used cookbook in the local thrift shop that had a similar recipe, and we would sometimes make them at home.
Chocolate crackels are a popular treat in New Zealand and Australia. They’re especially popular with kids, since they’re so easy to make. They’re often made with rice crispies, and coconut shreds are usually added to the mix. The version I loved as a child were made with cornflakes, and they didn’t contain coconut, so that’s the way I’ve made my recipe. Feel free to use puffed rice cereal instead of cornflakes, if you like.
How Do You do Cookery
How Do You do CookeryDespite the many moves I’ve undergone since then, I’ve managed to hold on to that cookbook. How-Do-You-Do Cookery by Jennie Corbett is a thin hardcover, with just 30 pages, and it’s either meant for children or adults who have absolutely no experience in the kitchen. The pages are yellowed with age and stained with food, and there are notes throughout written by the previous owner, but I will never get rid of it. It was my very first cookbook, after all! I love the cat sleeping under the table on the book’s cover. My Archie would be up on the table sampling all of the dishes!
Vegan Chocolate Crackles
Chocolate Crackles are the first recipe in the book, in the Cakes and Scones chapter. They’re loaded with sugar and margarine. It’s a recipe I’ve wanted to veganize for quite a while now, and with the holidays not too far away, now seems like the perfect time for a chocolatey treat.
How To Make Vegan Chocolate Crackles
This recipe is really easy to make, and it comes together in just a few short steps:
- First, you heat the brown rice syrup and coconut oil in a large pot and whisk them until the coconut oil has melted.
- Next, you remover the pot from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder and non-dairy milk.
- Then, you gently fold in the corn flakes.
- Finally, you scoop the mixture into muffin liners and let it set. Once it cools, you’ll have little clusters of chocolate goodness on your hands!
Sweeteners
I don’t like my chocolate to taste too sweet, but if you prefer a little sweetness, you can add 2 or 3 tablespoons of finely ground sugar to the mixture while you’re adding the cocoa powder and nondairy milk. Taste the chocolate before mixing in the cornflakes and add sweetener to your liking. I suggest using organic Sucanat (which is short for sugar cane natural) or coconut sugar. They’re less processed and contain minor amounts of nutrients. Plus, they’re not process with bone char like non-organic sugars, so they’re suitable for vegans.
The original crackles recipe calls for corn syrup, which I don’t use. I’ve replaced it with brown rice syrup, because it’s sticky and hold the clusters together well. Other liquid sweeteners, such as maple syrup and agave are too thin, and the flavor of molasses would overpower the recipe.
If you’d prefer to make smaller crackles, you’ll need about 20 mini muffin liners. 
Vegan Chocolate Crackles
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup brown rice syrup
- 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 2-3 tablespoons finely ground coconut sugar or sucanant optional
- 4 cups cornflakes (or puffed rice cereal)
Instructions
- Have paper cupcake liners ready for the finished Crackles. You'll need 12 liners.
- Add the brown rice syrup and coconut oil to a large pot over low heat. Whisk together until the coconut oil has melted.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder, non-dairy milk, and sugar, if using. Stir to combine everything thoroughly.
- Gently fold in the cornflakes into the chocolate mixture and carefully mix until they’re completely coated.
- Use a large spoon or scoop to form the mixture into balls, and place them in paper cupcake liners. You'll need about 1/4 cup for each one.
- Allow the crackles to cool completely. Once the chocolate has cooled, the mixture will form chocolaty clusters.
Other Chocolatey Treats You Might Enjoy Include:
- Homemade Vegan Fudge
- Tahini Truffles
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy Bites
- Chocolate-Peanut Butter Truffle Mini Tarts
- Chocolate Almond Date Truffles
Those look so good, and I am in love with this vintage cookbook – what a score! I have a few old 70s cookbooks, and they are so fun to just flip through. The photos and sometimes bizarro flavors in them are a delight!
Thanks, Becky! You’d love this cookbook – the instructions have little (really bad) drawings!
These sound delicious, and I love that you still have your first cookbook. I still have mine too – from my childhood Easy Bake Oven! I’ve been thinking it would be kind of fun to frame it and hang it in the kitchen.
Thank you, Cadry! That would be fun! I didn’t have any Easy Bake, but I had a Holly Hobby oven, which was pretty much the same thing. I don’t remember a cookbook coming with it, but I’m sure it had one. It would be fun to frame that in your kitchen!
That looks like a fun recipe and I love that old cookbook!
Thank you, Ginny!
What a great story! I wish I still had my first cookbook. The crackles look delicious!
Thank you, Amy!
OOOH!! Crackles! I haven’t seen these in forever. They look so good! I love the crispness of them!
Thank you, Sophia!
Such a super cute treat, Dianne!
Thank you, JL!
They take me back to my childhood! My mum used to make a similar recipe all the time and my sister and I loved them! Its so awesome that you still have your first cookbook. I can’t even remember what mine was!
Aren’t they the best?
These remind me so much of my childhood! I wouldn’t be able to stop eating them – chocolate crispy addiction!
It’s funny – I didn’t realize that they were “a thing” here in the U.S., too, until I posted this. I’m glad their deliciousness was able to hop across the pond!
This is such a great party – or anytime – recipe! I would have trouble keeping away from these.
Thanks, Alisa! They’re very addictive!
Those look so yum! What a simple and nice idea. And I enjoyed reading the story behind the recipe book too. 🙂
Will try them out soon and let you know how they turn out.
Thanks, Susmitha! I hope you enjoy them!
Such a great idea to veganize these! What a great idea for parties!
Thanks, Mary Ellen!
Love that old cookbook! I have a few older ones that were my moms, and even my first kids’ cookbook. So fun to look through! I always laugh at all of the mentions of salad oil 🙂
These little crackles look like they would be really fun for my kids to make!
This book is English, so it mentions things I don’t even understand!
The crackles are quick and easy to make, so your boys might enjoy making them. I did when I was little!
Oh my! My boys will absolutely love these! I can’t wait to give them a try! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Vanessa! I hope your boys enjoy them!
I love your story, Dianne. What a lovely memory. The chocolate crackles sound wonderful! I love crunchy food, and chocolate. A total win win. 🙂
Thank you, Linda!
What a great party snack, Dianne. Perfect for Halloween! 🙂
Thank you, Sina!
Oh, I bet these are so additive! Sweet, crunchy….yup, addictive! Love how easy the recipe is, too! I love the look of that old book as well. Super cool.
Thank you, Brandi!
Sadly, these did not stay crunchy for me – the cornflakes became really soggy within an hour, even with being in the fridge. I ate a couple right after I made them and they were super yummy, but they weren’t really edible for the party I made them for. Any ideas to keep them crunchy?
I’m sorry they didn’t stay crunchy. I’m not sure what could have caused them to turn soggy.