From buttery vla koekies to classic sugar cookies, the MK team has spilled the cookie jar on their holiday favourites and the nostalgic reason for it.
Liezl Vermeulen, Editor-in-Chief
I love a good old vla koekie (a melting-moment made with custard powder), and who can resist a tasty koffie koekie (coffee cookie)? These two cookies are shaped the same: two long fingers that sandwich together, one in an egg yolk yellow colour and the other in creamy mocha.
In our house, we always had these in purple Regal Sweets tins to keep the cookies crisp while we vacationed at the beach. This Christmas, I’m using the same base but making little wreaths (’Tis indeed the season) like we made in our 12 Days of Christmas cookies feature.
Butter biscuit wreaths
Ingredients
1⅕ cups (300g) salted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (130g) icing sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp (5ml) vanilla essence
3 cups (450g) cake flour
½ tsp (2.5ml) fine salt
For decorating
2 cups (260g) icing sugar
1 egg white, whisked
3 Tbsp (45ml) lemon juice
Rosemary and thyme leaves
Gold cake decorating balls
Method
- Using an electrical whisk or stand mixer, cream together butter and icing sugar until light and creamy.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated before adding the next one. Add vanilla and mix well.
- Add flour and salt and mix briefly to create a dough.
- Divide dough in half and shape into discs. Cover and chill until firm.
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Roll dough out on floured surface to 3mm thick. Cut out circles with a 7cm cookie cutter. Using a smaller round, cut out the centre to create rings.
- Place rings on lined baking trays. Combine dough off-cuts and repeat the process with the leftover dough.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, rotating baking trays halfway through. Remove and cool.
- Whisk together sifted icing sugar, egg white and lemon juice to create thick, drippy icing.
- Dip cookies in icing and allow excess to run off. Decorate with a few herb leaves and cake decorations.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Recipe & styling: Liezl Vermeulen
Photographs: Zhann Solomons
Lichelle May, Food Editor
One of my favourite Christmas cookie memories is decorating the trusty sugar cookie (soetkoekies) with royal icing. This is where you can get very creative, making your own Santa hats, baubles, reindeer or a string of festive lights. And (of course) a classic gingerbread cookie house. Do I enjoy a challenge? I definitely do! The good old classic hertzoggies remain a firm favourite in our household, especially during the festive holidays!
Sjaan van der Ploeg, Deputy Food Editor
My favourite holiday cookie is baking simple sugar cookies and decorating them with royal icing. This type of icing is made with icing sugar and egg whites, creating a hard-set finish so the cookies can be packaged as gifts or placed on a Christmas table. When I don’t feel like being too serious, my siblings and I gather and use water icing (icing sugar and water) to decorate instead. We enjoy playing with colours and sprinkles, which results in more of a mess, but the tradition has become an annual festivity that we eagerly anticipate every year. I also really love baking choc chip cookies – it’s the perfect teatime treat. Plus, they bring extra joy, filling the kitchen with cosy aromas and sweet holiday spirit.
Also read: 3 festive charcuterie board ideas
