Bring the movie theater snack bar to your home for your next movie night! A homemade version of the popular Nestle candy, silky, tempered milk or dark chocolate combines with crisped rice and broken into bite-sized pieces for handfuls of chocolaty goodness.
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Buncha Crunch are like potato chips: you really can't have just one. But for fifteen years, the only way you could get your hands on this scrumptious candy was by going to the movies. That is, until Nestle finally knighted grocery stores, deeming them noble and worthy enough to carry this compelling snack.
But why settle for 8-ounce servings when you can make as much as you want, whenever you want, at home?
What is Buncha Crunch?
"Buncha Crunch" is Nestle's twist on their classic Crunch chocolate bar. Rather than an entire candy bar, Buncha Crunch are bite-sized clusters of crisped rice enrobed in milk chocolate. It is a simple yet completely addictive snack that will serve you well during your next home movie night!
Reasons to Make This Recipe Today
Only uses two ingredients -- you only need crisped rice and your favorite milk chocolate bar to make this recipe.
More cost-effective -- you can make at least double the amount (if not more) by making this recipe yourself versus purchasing Buncha Crunch from your local store. Further, you can skip the pricey snack bar altogether the next time you want to catch a movie.
More natural -- making your own at home eliminates some of those additional preservatives in the commercial recipe.
Makes a unique gift -- throw a few pieces into a goodie bag for a sweet treat for family and friends!
Ingredients
Premium milk chocolate -- using premium milk chocolate offers a better texture and more chocolaty flavor than using chocolate chips or melting wafers. You can substitute with premium dark chocolate, if you prefer.
Crisped rice -- you can either use Rice Krispies or generic crisped rice, either of which can be found in the cereal aisle of your local grocery store. Crisped rice is essential since this is what gives this confection its signature crunch.
Tips for Success
- Pour the crisped rice into a bowl and then lightly crush in your hand. You want the cereal to be broken into smaller pieces, but not so much where it becomes powder. If too much powder develops, strain through a sieve to avoid a grainy texture in the final product.
- Add the melted chocolate gradually, stirring in between to coat. You are aiming for a 60-40 ratio of chocolate to rice, so take care not to add too much chocolate, or else risk a gloopy mess.
- As always, while you can get away with using melted chocolate, I highly recommend tempering the chocolate prior to adding it to the rice. I found that the melted chocolate version smeared in my hands almost immediately, even after being chilled in the fridge for a few hours (something you don't experience with tempered chocolate). However, this is ultimately up to personal preference.
Homemade Buncha Crunch
Equipment
- 1 digital scale
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 sheet parchment paper
- 1 quart-sized Ziploc bag
- 1 microwave-safe bowl
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 rubber spatula
- 1 infrared thermometer
- 1 offset spatula for tempering dip-test
- 1 teaspoon
Ingredients
- 8 ounces premium milk chocolate
- 100 grams puffed rice cereal
Instructions
- Pour the puffed rice into a Ziploc bag, seal, and lightly massage between your hands to crush the cereal into smaller pieces. Sift in a strainer to remove gritty powder and then add to a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Chop the milk chocolate, setting 2 ounces aside for later. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the remaining chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments until the temperature reads 113 ℉. Add the reserved 2 ounces of unmelted chocolate and slowly fold in until fully melted. Continue folding the chocolate until the temperature reaches 80 ℉. Microwave for another 5-10 seconds, until the temperature reads between 87-89 ℉.
- Use a tablespoon to drizzle the tempered chocolate over the crushed rice cereal, stirring in between each addition to gauge the level of coverage. Repeat until the cereal is no longer visible through the chocolate.
- Spread the chocolate cereal mixture over a prepared baking sheet and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. Remove the fridge and let stand until fully set. Break the chocolate cereal mass into bite-sized chunks and serve.
