How To Make Chin Chin
Published Dec 19, 2023
Updated Jun 14, 2024
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Learn how to make Chin Chin that is highly flavorful, crunchy, with just the right amount of sweetness, and made with easy-to-find ingredients. It is hard to stop eating this tasty snack!
Growing up in Cameroon, every Christmas we had to have Chin Chin, a deep-fried snack that is crunchy and tastes like cookies. It is how we brought in the Christmas cheer.
After making countless batches, I am pleased to share with you a step-by-step guide on how to make this Central and West African snack. Here you will find everything you need to know about how to make chin chin.
This snack is one of my favorite African treats, together with Puff Puff and Mandazi.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There are several reasons to learn how to make Chin Chin whether you grew up eating it or not:
- Rich in flavor! These are so good, that it requires a bit of discipline to stop eating them.
- Makes a great snack! Pair chin chin with some tea or a chilled drink for an afternoon snack.
- Makes a great gift! Chin Chin in a mason jar with a bow wrapped around is the perfect edible gift!
What is Chin Chin?
Chin Chin is a popular Central and West African snack eaten in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon. It is called “Les Croquettes” in French.
The ingredients for Chin Chin are pretty simple: flour, butter, sugar, eggs, milk, baking powder, salt, and some sort of flavor like nutmeg or vanilla.
Every ingredient here works together beautifully to produce perfectly crisp yet easy-to-chew Chin Chin, which is how the snack should be.
All ingredients are combined to form a dough which is then rolled out, cut into different shapes then deep fried. As they cool, they turn crunchy and just delicious.
For the full list of ingredients with measurements, check out the recipe card below.
What Does Chin Chin Taste Like?
It tastes like cake with the texture of crispy cookies. The taste might slightly vary depending on the flavors added. See flavor variation ideas below!
I add freshly grated nutmeg and some orange zest to make it insanely delicious!
Please note that I used a macro camera lens so the chin chin might appear larger than it is.
Chin Chin Recipe Step-By-Step
Here is how to make chin chin in 4 easy steps:
- Make the dough. Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer to make the dough.
- Roll out and cut the dough. Cut the dough into strips or squares. Use a knife, pizza cutter, or pasta machine to cut the dough.
- Fry the strips in hot oil. The oil should not be too hot so it doesn’t brown rapidly.
- Keep frying until golden brown. Then remove the chin chin from the oil and place it on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
Allow Chin Chin to cool down completely before tasting it for crunchiness. When it’s still hot, it won’t be as crunchy.
Variations
- Cinnamon Chin Chin: Add cinnamon powder to the dough.
- Coconut Chin Chin: Use coconut milk instead of evaporated milk and add coconut extract.
- Savory Chin Chin: Omit the sugar and instead add garlic and onion powder for a savory delight.
Watch How To Make Chin Chin
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SubscribeRecipe FAQs
Do not overcrowd the frying pan when frying and ensure the oil is hot enough. Fry only a small quantity of Chin Chin at once. Avoid the temptation of placing a huge quantity of Chin Chin into the pan at once. I have found after years and years of making Chin Chin that overcrowding leads to the oil foaming.
The right ratio of ingredients will result in chin chin that is not too hard. Please do not eyeball the recipe. Follow it as written for the best results.
Yes, you definitely can bake chin chin. I recommend adding more margarine or butter to the baked version so it doesn’t harden up in the oven.
Expert Tips
- The dough should spring back up when pressed down with a finger. A sticky dough won’t work for chin chin.
- If the chin chin is soft after frying and cooling, it wasn’t fried long enough or it was cut too thick.
- Stir chin chin as it fries in oil to promote even browning.
- For a milky-rich flavor, add whole powdered milk to the dough.
- If cutting the shapes is a problem use your hands to form peanut-sized balls out of the dough and deep fry.
- For a richer flavor, use good-quality softened butter instead of margarine. Kerrygold is a good butter to use here.
- To make ahead, make the dough and keep it in the refrigerator overnight. Then bring the dough to room temperature, before rolling, cutting, and frying.
More Snack Recipes To Try
This recipe was first published on April 21st, 2017, and then updated on December 13, 2019, with more pictures. Now the recipe has been tweaked to make a better dough, some portions rewritten for more clarity and the whole post has been refreshed with newer photos and tips.
If you make this recipe please leave a star rating below. Your rating helps others find the recipe plus I love hearing from you! Thank you!
How To Make Chin Chin
Ingredients
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon orange zest from one orange
- 1 cup evaporated milk not sweetened
- ½ cup margarine or softened salted butter
- 2 large eggs
- Neutral oil for frying I used canola oil. You could use vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, grated nutmeg, and orange zest. Add the evaporated milk, margarine, and eggs, then mix to form a dough, kneading by hand or with the machine.
- Cut a small portion of the dough about the size of a golf ball then roll out to 1/8 inch thick and cut with a knife or pizza cutter into squares or thin strips. You could also use a pasta maker to cut the dough into strips. Place the cut dough on a baking sheet or tray lined with parchment paper.
- Pour oil into a heavy bottom pot like a cast iron pot up to 4 inches. Heat the oil on high heat for about 10 minutes then reduce the heat to medium and start frying chin chin in small batches. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan so the chin chin doesn't soak up the oil or cause a lot of foam. Fry each batch until golden brown then remove and place on paper towels to drain the excess oil.
- When chin chin cools completely, store it for up to a month in an airtight container. Enjoy as a snack with juice, milk, or your favourite drink!
Video
I finally got to do my chin chin and I can assure you, your recipe was soo easy and time efficient. Thank you for this amazing guide. What is even more interesting is that I live in Botswana and they do not know what chin chin is. So everyone is soo excited and they say it tastes like heaven. Wish I could share pictures!
Yes!!! So glad to hear that, Nina! I saw your pics on Facebook. It looks perfect! People always like Chin Chin no matter where they are from. Such a winning snack! Thanks for the amazing feedback, dear.
Tried this recipe yesterday on a whopping 10kg of flour and the chin chin was crunchy. used margerine instead and lemon zest.
Thanks Precious my christmas is set
p/s trying the plantain puff puff today..
Yasss!! Thanks for the feedback, Sally.
I love this
Thanks Bree!
Hello precious, thanks for the receipe. I want to know if I kind as well use salted butter?
Hi Rita, yes you can. It might taste slightly more salty than the one with unsalted butter but that is totally fine.
Wow!!!! Thanks very much. I love it.
Glad you do!
Honestly I’m over ready this Christmas, thank you ma’am, God bless you.
You are welcome, dear Mary.
Hello madam, I need advice on how to start a medium scale chin chin business. Any advice on equipments I can get to make my production easy. Thanks
Hi Patience, so sorry for the late response. You could get a stand-up mixer to make mixing the dough easier. Also get a pasta maker for cutting the Chin Chin. Hope this helps.
Precious, you are just so amazing when you make these things look so easy. Most recipes i always see are always in grams or miligrams( this frustrates me as i can’t really estimate well using this). This mostly makes my chin chin not to come out the way it is suppose to be. I watched your video step by step and followed your recipe. It will interest you to know that i tried this out and gave a neighbour of mine to taste, she loved it and just gave me my first chin chin and peanut burger snack project. She has asked me to supply her some chin chin and peanut burger snacks (which she also tasted a few months ago) in a few weeks time for a wedding ceremony. In fact, i’m just so happy today. Thanks a lot dear for the work you are doing on your blog and channel. Cheers!!!
Wow Clotilde! This makes me so happy, dear. Go on and conquer your snack-making project. Thank you so much for letting me know!
Thanks this really help but it will be nice fit you can write it on a book and we can buy as the aunty Kate coookery book
I’m working on that, dear.
I love chin chin..i love your work even as I haven’t tasted.. I sure know its yummy ๐. I am even training on baking. I need your assistance on why mine isn’t crunchy. I have made it twice now but it seem like cake. I wana ๐ข cry..aaaha! U gotta help. Thank you presh!
Hi Mike, I strongly suggest that you try my exact recipe and follow my measurements just as they are. That way you will get perfect crunchy chin chin. Please let me know if you try again.