Traditional Soetkoekies Recipes

TRADITIONAL SOETKOEKIES RECIPE

Steps:

• Cream the butter with an electric mixer then the add icing sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
• Add in the condensed milk and vanilla and mix until well combined. Add egg and beat till smooth.
• Sift the flour, corn flour and baking powder into mixture and stir until a soft dough is formed.
• Wrap the dough in cling wrap and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours OR until the dough is chilled.
• Preheat the oven to 170°C.
• Roll out the dough to 5 mm thickness and cut the biscuits to the desired shape and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
• Once cooled, dust with castor sugar and enjoy!

SOETKOEKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground nutmeg. Stir or whisk together.
• Add the softened butter to the flour and work into the flour until the mixture resembles wet sand. This can be done by using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer on the lowest setting.
• Beat together the eggs and sweet wine (or moskonfyt). Add to the flour mixture and mix through until you have a soft dough. Again this can be done at a low speed using the paddle attachment.
• On a clean work surface, knead the dough a few times to bring all the dough together. Wrap in cling film or plastic wrap, or place in an airtight container and allow the dough to rest for at least an hour, or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C/390F (180°C fan). Prepare a baking sheet by lining the sheet with baking paper or a silicone baking mat.
• On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough to about 3-5mm thick. Cut out biscuits using a cookie cutter of choice. Place on the baking sheet about 5cm (about 2") apart. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes. The sheet may need to be turned halfway through baking to ensure an even bake.
• Place the baked biscuits on a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

SOETKOEKIES RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C.
• In a large bowl using electric beaters, beat the butter with sugar and eggs until light and fluffy - about 5 minutes.
• In another large bowl, sieve the flour, baking powder, spices and salt together.
• Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix to form a soft dough.
• On a well-floured surface, roll out small batches of dough at a time, sprinkling more flour on top of the dough if necessary (the dough can be quite soft and sticky). The thickness should be about 5 mm.
• Press out circles with a cookie cutter, then arrange on a lined/greased baking tray, with at least 2 cm of space between each cookie.
• Bake for 8 - 10 minutes until pale and slightly golden (not too dark), remove from oven and cool on wire racks.
• Store in an airtight container - it keeps well for several weeks.

SOETKOEKIES ( SPICY WINE COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray or grease a cookie sheet.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves, brown sugar, and almonds in a large bowl.
• Add the butter and cut into the flour mixture.
• Add the beaten eggs and red wine and mix dough together until it can be formed into a ball.
• Roll dough into walnut-sized balls and place on cookie sheets about 2" apart.
• Brush each cookie gently with the egg white.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes - until golden brown. Remove to a rack to cool completely.

SOETKOEKIES - SWEET WINE AND SPICE SOUTH AFRICAN COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray. Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt together and set aside.
• In a deep bowl, cream the butter and the dark-brown sugar together, mashing and beating them against the sides of the bowl until they are thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, then add the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Beat in the wine and chopped almonds.
• With your hands, vigorously knead the dough in the bowl until it can be gathered into a somewhat firm, compact ball. If the dough then seems too soft, knead in up to 1/4 cup more flour, adding it a tablespoon or so at a time.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rough circle about 1/4 inch thick. With a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, cut it into 2-inch rounds. Arrange the rounds about 1 inch apart on the buttered baking sheets. Then gather the scraps of dough into a ball, roll it out into another circle, and cut out rounds as before.
• Press a blanched almond half lightly into the center of each Soetkoekie and brush the entire top surface of the cookie with the beaten egg white-and-water mixture.
• Bake the cookies in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes, or until they are crisp and firm to the tough. With a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. The cookies will keep for up to two weeks in a tightly covered jar.