Category Archives for My thoughts
Soet cookies
Today I baked some soetkoekies. I was in the mood for something easy with no fillings or anything else. Just something that would be quick to bake and lovely to enjoy! A cookie recipe with just over a hand full of ingredients.
I have not baked any of these cookies for a while. Last time I tried them, they were not very successful. I bake with gluten free ingredients and sometimes the flour can be difficult to bake with. To be honest, it has taken me more than 4 years to discover the best flour combination for the best results for baking all different things.
So this time the cookies were a raving success! I baked them before I left the house to pick up the kids from school and as we opened the door when we got back, we were bowled over by the the aroma of the soet cookies. These are truly wonderful cookies. I know that old fashioned soet cookies are fantastic, but I have not been able to successfully bake those yet. I will have to work on them next! But this easy so bake soet cookie recipe from my mother is always a winner…
When you work with gluten free products it is always important to have a look at what type of recipe it is. What is the goal? If you are baking cookies that need to be crisp or harder, it is very important to use a plain gluten free flour that contains some kind of harder flour like soy or brown rice. You do not want these cookies to run or rise too much.
If you choose to bake something that needs to be very light and fluffy or rise quite a bit like cakes, cup cakes or plaatkoekies (like American pancakes), you will need a mix of softer flours like tapioca or potato. Use self-raising flour and then add half the amount of raising agent suggested by the recipes. This will result in beautiful, fluffy baking every time.
Hope this helps a bit!
If you are intereste in having a look at my recipe books that are available online, please have a look at my Amazon site. You will also find my gluten free version here. Otherwise you can buy my downloadable book from my website.
Soetkoekies
Ek het vandag soetkoekies gebak. Was in ‘n bui vir ‘n eenvoudige koekie sonder enige fieterjasies of vulsels. Net iets wat lekker vinnig bak en heerlik smaak met slegs ‘n handvol bestanddele.
Ek het baie lanklaas hierdie koekies gebak. Het gesukkel die laaste keer wat ek dit gebak het. Ek bak mos alles gluten vry en soms kan die meel probleme gee. Om die waarheid te sê, dit het my nou net mooi 4 jaar gevat om uit te pluis wat die beste kombinasie van meel is om te gebruik, afhangende wat jy bak.
So hierdie keer het die koekies heerlik gebak!! Ek het gebak voor ek by die huis uit is om die kinders by die skool te gaan haal en toe ons terugkom het die geur van die koekies ons sommer dadelik getref toe ons die deur oopmaak, heeltemal uitgebowl! Dit is werklik heerlik. Ek weet die outydse soetkoekie het ‘n fantastiese geur, maar die kan ek nog nie suksesvol bak nie. Die maklike soetkoekieresep wat my ma vir my gegee het, is altyd ‘n wenner.
Wanneer jy met glutenvrye produkte werk is dit altyd belangrik om te kyk na watter resep jy wil bak. As jy koekies bak wat lekker hard of bros moet wees en nie te veel rys nie, is dit belangrik om gewone meel te gebruik. Die meel moet nie net sagte mele bevat nie, maar het ‘n meel nodig wat harder is, iets soos soya…
As jy iets wil bak wat moet rys soos koek, kolwyntjies of plaatkoekies, is dit belangrik om die sagter mele te gebruik soos aartappel of tapioca meel. Gebruik oor die self-rys meel wat reeds bakpoeier in het en voeg die helfte van die bakpoeier bly as wat die resep vir jou sê om te gebruik.
Hoop hierdie wenke help so bietjie!
As jy belangstel om te kyk na die resepteboeke wat beskikbaar is, doen gerus so deur na my Amazon site te gaan kyk. Jy sal ook die glutenvrye weergawe hier kry. Anders kan jy die aflaaibare boek op hierdie webwerf van my koop.
Christmas Cookie Baking
December is always a busy time…. Baking cookies is part of our lives, I am always baking, but December is extra busy. A bag for all the teachers, neighbours, friends and family.
What a wonderful time, but also CRAZY!!! At least I have little helpers. My little girl loved helping with the baking, sticking the cookies, packing as well as closing the bags.
We are also busy with orders from eBay. Everybody loves a beautiful, fresh cookies. Don’t you also feel like baking when this beautiful Christmas season is upon us?
Have a look at these beautiful cookies…. Just seeing them makes my mouth water. You can buy the recipe books to bake them yourselves and if you would rather just order, I will happily bake and post it for you. Have a look at my eBay page
Halloween gift
It is almost halloween…. Why not treat yourself or someone you know to a beautiful gift, something that no one else has. This is a perfect, individual gift that will be a wonderful treat for everyone in your life…. You can choose between a small bag or a large bag of cookies. The packs include the following:
Pack 1: – £15
12 cookies in a bag
1 x cauldron (choice of 3, as long as stock lasts)
1 x soy tealight candle
1 x finger knitted bracelet (choose your 2 colours)
Pack 2: – £12
3 cookies in a bag
1 x cauldron (choice of 3, as long as stock lasts)
1 x soy tealight candle
1 x finger knitted bracelet (choose your 2 colours)
If you are in England, you can order yours now. Send us a message or visit our eBay page. Delivery will be through a courier and will be £3 extra. If you order through eBay the delivery will be £3.40… Order 2 and pay for only 1 postage.
If you want to bake your own treats, have a look at our Amazon page…
Cookies for SALE
As you already know, we are selling our home made cookies through eBay… If you want to order directly from us, just send us a message. You can pay via PayPal or Direct transfer. All cookies will be baked to order and dispatched within 2 working days. Orders will be send via courier in the UK at a cost of R3.
We have just added our newest line. This is ideal for parties at home or school. It includes our lovely home made Romany Creams and you will also get a finger knitted bracelet for every bag. Your order will include 4 x individual bags with 3 cookies each as well as 4 x finger knitted bracelets (2 colours of your choice). The cost of this will be £9.20. If you would like to buy 2 or more (8 bags and 8 bracelets) you will get your order for £9 each instead of £9.20.
Other cookies available for sale includes:
12 x Home made chocolate and coconut cookies (Romany Cream style) – £5.40 (2 or more at £5.10 each)
12 x Home made custard cookies – £5.40 (2 or more at £5.10 each)
12 x Home made coffee cookies – £5.40 (2 or more at £5.10 each)
4 x Individual bags with chocolate and coconut cookies and 4 x finger knitted bracelets – £9.20 (2 or more £9)
Send us a message if you are interested to purchase our lovely home made cookies!
Cookies
There are not many things that are as tasty and enjoyable as a wonderful cookie. They need to crumble the right way, not be too hard or soft, just right. They have to be perfect to dunk in your tea or coffee, keep it’s shape and not fall apart when you dunk them, but also soft enough to eat without dunking.
The perfect cookie I found that is best for all occasions to eat with or without dunking is the custard cookie. This must be one of the best inventions ever. It is so soft and crumbly, but the filling gives it a little crunch. The taste is so good that you will want to go back for more.
The trick with baking them WELL is make sure they bake long enough. If you remove them from the oven too early they will be too soft and just disintegrate when you eat them. If you bake them too long they will burn so you don’t want that either. You need to keep them in long enough to give a beautiful colour and make them just a little harder. They then melt in you mouth when you eat them.
The taste of custard it very strong, but also subtle at the same time. The addition of corn flour to the flour makes it so lovely and crumbly, but also soft enough to eat and enjoy. These are beautiful cookies and you will not be disappointed.
If you are looking for this specific recipe or recipes of wonderful South African cookies, then have a look at my book sales page… You can get the cookie recipe book or the full e-book with many South African favourites. We also have a Gluten Free version available…
Mis ons land
Vandag wil ek so ietsie skryf oor die lewe, ons liefde, die mis van jou land. Met Covid wat so ‘n ongelooflike invloed op ons lewens het, het ons nog nooit so afgesny van ons families gevoel nie. Ons huisgesinne is soveel nader aan mekaar, ons sien mekaar meer, praat heerlik en die tyd wat ons saam kon deurbring die laaste 2 jaar was en is nogsteeds ongelooflik. Dit is egter die uitgebreide familie wat ons nie kan sien nie.
Die feit dat niemand na en van Suid-Afrika af mag vlieg nie maak dinge soveel moeiliker vir almal. So baie Suid-Afrikaners bly oorsee, Australië, Amerika, Nieu Seeland, Engeland en so kan die lys aangaan… Die belofte van ons sal mekaar elke jaar sien, ons sal kom kuier, julle kan kom kuier… Nie net is pryse onbekostigbaar nie, maar niemand mag vlieg nie. Wat ‘n lang tydperk om nie jou ma of pa se hande om jou te voel nie, om hulle nie in persoon te sien nie, nie net gou kan oorstap om hallo te sê nie. Hoe moeilik is dit om nie by broers, sisters en beste vriende te kan gaan kuier nie, jou kinders om nie hul neefs en niggies te sien nie? Onthou, neefs en niggies is jou eerste vriende, mense wat jou aanvaar soos jy is…
Gelukkig is daar sosiale media, whatsapp is natuurlik die sleutel tot baie dinge. Ons kan mekaar ten minste sien en hoor, sien hoe dit gaan eerder as om net te raai. Dit is lekker om te gesels en vir my ma te wys wat ek bak, of om haar te kan bel as ek ‘n vragie het oor ‘n resep wat ek vergeet het, of nie verstaan nie.
My volgende uitdaging is om koeksisters te bak. Dit klink na so ‘n groot storie. Het BAIE lank laas my eie gebak en my ma het my nog gehelp. So binne die volgende paar weke wil ek bak. Ek sal eers net ‘n bietjie bak. Die enigste probleem is dit gaan ‘n 2 dag proses wees. Eers die stroop voorberei die aand voor die tyd en die die deeg die volgende oggend. Dan sal ek die middag bak. Ek sal julle op hoogte hou oor hoe dit uitgedraai het 🙂
Vir nou wil ek julle net herinner dat as julle so sit en die hartseer oorval julle, ‘n traan rol oor jou regter wang terwyl ‘n klein glimlaggie aan die linkerkant van die mond pluk, dan moet jy net eenvoudig jouself oorgee aan die oomblik, bietjie huil en net stil sit en onthou…. dan moet jy opstaan en vir jouself ‘n heerlike Suid-Afrikaanse resep soek en dit bak. Dan spoel al die herinneringe oor jou terug soos ‘n golf van toe jy ‘n kind was. Bak wat jou ma sou gedoen het.
As jy opsoek is na iets heerlik, maak gerus ‘n draai op my Amazon blad en sien of daar iets is waarvoor jy lus is 🙂
Home Made Romany Creams
It is almost Christmas again, can you believe it… Feels like yesterday we all got together as a family and had so much fun. This year is a bit different. Lots of things happened but at least we are still able to keep in touch through technology… This year we are running a special for Christmas. Show the person that means the most to you that you are thinking of them.
If you live in the UK, you can order Home made Romany Creams, specially baked with love xxx We are selling little bags of cookies, 12 in a pack. It will be packaged in a beautiful bag and delivered to your door via courier… We are taking orders now and all orders will be dispatched within 3 working days.
You can buy them now through eBay:
1 x 12 pack of Home made Romany creams – £5.40 + R2.90 for delivery. If you buy 2 or more packs you will save 5%…
This is an ideal way of showing the South African, or anyone else, that you are thinking of them. These are beautiful cookies made with chocolate and coconut, so don’t miss out. If you want to place an order please contact me via our blog or visit eBay. You can also contact me via facebook….
Looking forward to your orders and speaking soon 🙂
Birthday cookies
What a wonderful experience to spend time with your children. So when your youngest come up to you and ask, “Can we bake cookies for my birthday to take to school?”, then you say yes….
She chose the shape and pressed all the cookies. I then baked it in the oven and afterwards we decorated them together. It was wonderful spending so much time with my little girl. She is my little angel 🙂
We had so much fun together. I can do that again… Why not take time during the holidays or over a weekend and let your kids help you. They love helping and feels so proud when they make something themselves….
Marakkas !!
Ai, nog ‘n pragtige Afrikaanse woord…. Daar is geen taal in die wêreld wat kan kers vashou by Afrikaans as dit kom by beskrywende woorde, uitdrukkings en manier van praat nie 🙂 Ek glimlag sommer klaar as ek net van die woorde deur my brein laat wandel… Dit is so mooi, so beskrywend, so akkuraat en pragtig.
Ek het net nou die aand een van my Haas Das se Nuuskas boekies vir my seuntjie gegee om te lees. Gaan hom ‘n ruk lank besig hou, maar hy lees so pragtig. Een van die stories se naam is “Hier kom groot marakkas!” ‘n Wonderlike beskrywing van wat gaan gebeur. Jy hoef nie eens te wonder nie, dit sê alles as jy net die opskrif lees.
Dit is presies hoe ek gevoel het nou die dag toe ek ‘n lemoenpoeding probeer bak het…. Ons huur ‘n nuwe huis en die oond het baie belowend en nuut gelyk, maar met kan nooit van die buitekant af oordeel nie… Ek het die poeding aangemaak en in die oong gesit en binne die eerste 5 minute het ek besef dat hier kom groot marakkas…..
Die poeding bo-op was sommer donker bruin, amper swart, en die poeding onder is nog in vloeistof vorm. Ai, en niks wil rys nie…. Die poeding bied nie eers ‘n poging aan om te rys nie, is net so plat soos toe ek dit ingesit het. Net so…. Geen vordering, geen bakproses… Net swart bo-op gebrand, rou aan die onderkant en plat soos ‘n pannekoek. Nou dit is wat mens noem marakkas…. GROOT PROBLEME….. So wonderlike akkurate beskrywing van hoe iet maklik verkeerd kan loop.
As jy opsoek is na die resep en wil sien hoe die poeding regtig MOET lyk, lees gerus meer by resep vir Lemoenpoeding…
Vertel ons van marakkas wat plaasgevind het in jou kombuis. Deel gerus jou storie met ons 🙂 Jy is welkom on in AFrikaans of Engels te skryf. Maak gebruik van hierdie geleentheid om iets met die wêreld te deel 🙂