Line a 20cm square cake tin with some parchment paper and grease the paper well with butter or sunflower spread before you begin

Melt the sugar and syrup together in a heavy bottomed saucepan over a medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved then stir in the vanilla

You shouldn't be able to see any sugar grains. If you use granulated sugar instead of caster sugar it will take a bit longer to dissolve

Bring to a boil then turn down to low and let simmer for 10 minutes. It should reach a temp of 145C / 290F, almost hard crack stage, for a good crunch

Take off the heat and quickly stir in the bicarb - be careful, this is a bit of a volcanic reaction

Pour the mixture straight into the cake tin and don't try to spread it out. It'll sink down a little. Leave it where it lands and let it cool at room temp until set, 1 hour or so. If you want it to remain higher use a smaller tin but it will be more difficult to break and will take slightly longer to set

Score the top of the mixture after 5 minutes or so, then it'll be easier to break where you want it to for making the Crunchie bars

Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together over a bain marie or in short blasts in the microwave (I actually used these leftover Easter bunnies - sssh!) You can temper the chocolate if you're giving as a gift - see my How To Temper Chocolate guide I previously posted

Break the crunchie into bars using your score marks as a guide. Don't worry if a couple break. They're the chefs treat 😉

Dip the bars in the melted chocolate and coat completely then lay on the wire rack to set at room temperature

Store in an airtight container once set. Don't refrigerate or they'll sweat

Delicious!

Alternatively, break up and use as an ice cream topping or add-in