Category Archives for Recipes
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.
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…
Pancake day
How wonderful that there is a day dedicated to baking and eating pancakes. Not that I ever need a reason for baking these wonderful treats. I love eating them warm with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top. If I close my eyes I can just smell that now. Why no treat yourself and your family to these wonderful treats.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups of water (you can replace the half cup with milk)
2 eggs
1/4 cup of oil (I use sunflower oil)
2 cups of self-raising flour (you can use regular flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder. If you are a celiac, replace with self-raising Gluten Free flour and add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and a 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum)
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
Method
1. Beat the eggs, water and oil together.
2. Add the flour, salt and sugar and mix very well.
3. Bake as many pancakes as you can eat!!!
The nice thing about pancakes is that you can either fill them with beautiful mince and sauce or chicken as a main meal, or sprinkle with cinnamon sugar as a wonderful snack. Enjoy your pancake day!!
Pannekoekdag
Kan jy glo!! Internasionale pannekoekdag. Die perfekte verskoning om pannekoek te bak al reën dit nie. Nie dat ek enige rede nodig het om pannekoek te bak nie. Vir my is daar niks lekkerders as ‘n lekker warm pannekoek besprinkel met kaneelsuiker nie. As ek my oë toemaak kan ek die geur van kaneelsuiker in die lug ruik. Waarom bak jy nie ook vandag heerlike pannekoek nie!!!
Bestanddele
2 1/2 koppies water (jy kan die 1/2 koppie water vervang met melk)
2 eiers
1/4 koppie olie (ek gebruik sommer sonneblomolie)
‘n knippie sout
2 koppies bruismeel (jy kan gewone meel gebruik met 2 teelepels bakpoeier)
1 teelepel suiker
Metode
1. Klits die eiers, water en olie goed saam.
2. Voeg die meel, sout, en suiker hierby. Klits goed.
3. Vul ‘n pan met die deeg en bak soveel pannekoeke as wat jy kan eet!
Jy kan gevulde pannekoeke bak met heerlike maalvleis en sous of sommer net met kaneelsuiker.
Brazilian cheese puffs
This is a wonderful recipe we stumbled upon by accident. My husband was diagnose as a celiac in 2009 and ever since we have been trying out new recipes, trying to make things the way we used to with gluten free ingredients.
It is not as easy as you might think and has taken over 10 years to get to where we are today. I published my Gluten Free South African recipe book a few weeks ago and there is one recipe in there that saves us all the time.
My husband went to the USA in 2013 and there he tasted the most beautiful little cheese rolls served with gluten free meats. He loved it so much he looked it up when he returned home. We have made these ever since and they are really tasty. You can eat them as they are, warm out of the oven or fill it with whatever you want. Cheese, jam, little sliders (mini burgers), the options are endless.
They are so easy to make and tastes wonderful. Try a stick blender if you don’t have anything else.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup of olive oil
2/3 cup of milk
1/2 cup of grated cheese
1 1/2 cups of tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoon of Dijon Mustard for extra taste! (optional)
Pinch of salt
Method:
1. Add all the ingredients in a bowl and use a stick blender to mix it together.
2. Pour the mixture into mini muffin pans and bake in a pre-heated oven of 180 degrees Celcius for 20 minutes.
Don’t use the large muffin pans or the cup cake pans. They are all too big and the cheese puffs will not rise correctly…
When I bake my cheese puffs I use a stick blender, the Russell Hobbs one… The price is not too high and It really does work wonderfully…
My books on Amazon
My recipe books are now all available on Amazon. There is a selection of both English and Afrikaans books. The list is as follows:
ENGLISH:
Recipes from South Africa – paperback version
This is a real paperback book that you can order and have delivered. Something to keep forever and pass on to your children. This book contains interesting information as well as all my recipes for starters, main courses, puddings, cookies and treats as well as cakes. Over 140 pages.
Cookies and Cakes – e-book version
This recipe book is for everyone that LOVES baking. You will find all kinds of cookies and cakes including coffee, sweet, old fashioned sweet, oats, custard and soentjies. You will also find chocolate cake, cup cakes and fruit cake recipes. Over 20 recipes.
Tarts and Treats – e-book version
This is a special treat with wonderful recipes from marshmallow tart, milk tart, sout tart and other treats including vetkoek, melkkos and much more. If you are looking for nice treats to bake for visitors or parties, this book is for you! Over 20 recipes.
AFRIKAANS:
Resepte vanuit Suid-Afrika – e-boek weergawe
Hierdie is my volle resepteboek met resepte vir alle geleenthede. Dit sluit in voorgeregte, hoofgeregte, slaaie, souse, nageregte, koekies, koeke en spesiale lekkernye…. Daar is ook ‘n paar nuwe resepte wat ek graag met jou wil deel.
Smullekker koekies – e-boek weergawe
Hierdie resepteboek is vir jou as jy daarvan hou om te bak en brou. Alles van koekies tot koeke…. Koffiekoekies, vlakoekies, soentjie, hawermout, soet, outydse soet en vele meer. Daar is oor die 20 resepte.
Terte en Bederfies – e-boek weergawe
Hierdie boek is vir jou as jy graag wil bak. Spesiale bederfies vir vriende en familie wat kom kuier of om verjaarsdae te vier. Alles van malvalekkertert, souttert, melkterk, vetkoek en melkkos… Meer as 20 resepte.
Ek is besig om aan die sagtebandboek in Afrikaans te werk. Sal baie binnekort beskikbaar wees. Geniet die e-boek weergawes vir nou…. Maklik om te gebruik en te stoor. Gebruik sommer jou telefoon of tablet om vanaf te kook en bak 🙂
GLUTEN FREE
I have now finished and published my Gluten Free book as well. This is especially for all the celiacs out there. My husband was diagnosed in 2009 and since then I have been adapting my South African baking recipes.
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 🙂
Ystervarkies
Ystervarkies is one of my favourites. I don’t know if it is the chocolate syrup or the coconut you use to roll the pieces of cake in, maybe it is a combination of both, but NOTHING can beat the taste. In English they are also known as lamingtons, but for us they will always be ystervarkies 🙂
Let me share with you the recipe…. It is easy to make but can take some time so make sure you have enough time available to enjoy the whole process. First you have to bake the cake and then you make the syrup. Have a bowl of desiccated coconut separately to roll the cake in after you dunked it in the syrup….
Bake a sponge cake in a square or rectangle pan. Cut the cake into little squares, probably about 3cm x 3cm. It is not an exact science so cut them how big you want to, different sized are also just fine!!!!
To make the sauce you need to add the following in a pan:
60ml of cacao (2 tablespoons)
375ml boiling water
600g (3 cups) of sugar
15 ml of butter or margarine (1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Bring all the ingredients to the boil on the stove and cook for 2 minutes. Then remove the pan from the heat. You have to dunk the pieces of cake individually in the sauce. Try and use the sauce as warm as you can without burning your fingers. Once you covered all the sides of the piece of cake in the sauce, roll it in the coconut (you will need about 500g)…..
Aartappelkoekies
Ek weet ek het al voorheen hierdie resep met julle gedeel, maar jy kan nie te veel daarvan eet nie. Ek het besluit om hierdie resep weer te deel omdat ek dit bietjie aangepas het oor die laasste jare. Die geheim is om bestandele te gebruik waarvan jou familie baie hou.
Bestandele:
4 aartappels (gekoop en fyn gedruk)
‘n Knippie sout
‘n Knippie gerookte paprika, gee ‘n heerlike geur
Teelepel fyn gerasperde ui
Groot hand vol gerasperde kaas (cheddar, mozzarella, of dalk bloukaas)
Gesnyde salami of gebraaide spek in stukkies gesny
1 eier
1 eetlepel meel (nie te veel nie)
Meng al die bestandele baie goed saam. Die beslag sal soos kapokaartappel lyk, nie te slap nie. Gebruik ‘n eetlepel om lepelsvol in die pan te sit. My pan vat 4 koekies gemaklik. Ek gebruik glad nie olie om in te braai nie, sommer net my “non stick” pan. Dit werk heerlik.
Los hulle in die pan aan een kant vir ‘n paar minute. Wanneer die koekie los is, draai dit om en braai bruin aan die ander kant. Hulle sal heerlik bruin gebraai wees. Bedien warm op.
Probeer gerus hierdie heerlike koekies en laat ons weet hoe dit gegaan het. Het jou familie daarvan gehou en wat is julle gunsteling bestandele?