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
WAW awesome recipe…..well done Precious
Thanks, Delight!
This is wonderful. But ma I need to make two rubber paint of flour for chinchin, so I need an accurate measurement for my butter, sugar, egg, milk, nutmeg, zest, baking powder.
Hi Obende, there is an accurate measurement on the post. What you need to do is multiply it according to the quantity you want to make. Start with determining how many kilograms of flour make ‘two rubber paint’ then you multiply the rest of the ingredients as needed. Happy cooking!
hi chef. can I use lemon zest in place of orange zest?
Yes, you definitely can!
Wow, this is sooo nice, i’m so gonna try this recipe.. Thanks ma for sharing
Hope you enjoy, Blessyn!
My chin chin does not get hard. After frying it gets soggy even after following the menu. I cannot figure out why this is happening.
Hi Didi, you might be getting a measurement wrong. Also, be sure your oil is hot enough so your chin chin doesn’t drink up the oil.
Hello Precious,
This is Catherine from Uganda. I tried your recipe for home chin chin and it flew right from the pan into the mouths of my family members. They suggested I start selling them but have been reluctant because am not sure of the shelf life of this particular recipe. How long would they last with this exact recipe?
2. With what can I replace evaporated milk and eggs as they become too expensive for commercial chin chin?
Thank you so very much. May God bless you abundantly.
Hi Catherine, so sorry for the very late response. Great to hear that your family members loved the Chin Chin! I can’t really tell the shelf life because it hardly lasts for long in my home. But if kept well in an airtight container or bag it could last for weeks or even months. Also, you can replace the evaporated milk with water and you could also reduce the number of eggs. Make up for the eggs with water. Hope this helps.
oh my God i love ur handwork sweet sis, i will try making it right a way
Thanks, Emeldine!
wow! thanks so much sis precious, I had searched the web several times for chin chin recipe and all the time I wasn’t impressed with the results. The moment I bumped into your chin chin recipe there was a click in my spirit that I got it, its just exactly what I had been looking for. your recipes are just so amazing sis I love them. please can you add me on Whatsapp- 679588696
Awww glad you love my recipes, Emmanuela. Thank you!
Thank you for this recipe. I have learnt a lot. Please can you add me to your whatsapp group. Thank you.
Hi Juliet, glad you learned much. Sorry, I don’t have a What’s App group.
hey precious, thanks so much for your sweet recipes. i have made chin chin with this recipe 2 different times… so crunchy as you say. but the only difficulty i faced through out the process was the oil foaming during frying. please will be grateful if you can give me some knowledge on why it happens…
thanks so much…
Hi Ache, avoid overcrowding the pan with chin chin while frying. I fry only a handful at a time.That helps to prevent the annoying foaming. Hope this helps.