Soetkoekies - Sweet Wine and Spice South African Cookies

Submitted by CaliforniaJan

"I got this from a very old (1970) African Cookbook and am posting it for the ZWT 4."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Yields: 30 2-inch cookies

ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 - 2 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
• cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄4 cups dark brown sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1⁄4 cup port wine (or Madeira or a sweet sherry)
• 1⁄2 cup blanched almond, finely chopped
• 15 whole blanched almonds, split lengthwise into halves
• 1 egg white, combined with 2 teaspoons of water and beaten to a froth

directions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.

Reviews

[luvinlif2k]

7/30 - I've returned to increase the rating on this cookie. I never make rolled and cut cookies and I'm returning to make more of this one. The longer these were around, the more I enjoyed snacking on them. This made a nice cookie and was a wonderful way to put my Madeira to use. Two other substitutions I made (besides the Madeira) were: 1/4 c. almond meal instead of chopped almonds, and Splenda Brown Sugar Blend instead of straight brown sugar. All substitutions worked out just fine. I will keep this on hand in case I need a use for Madeira, Port or Sherry. Thanks! Reviewed for ZWT4