Coffee biscuits (koffiekoekies)

Koffiekoekies (coffee biscuits), with its coffee-fudge filling, was Marietjie's father's ultimate favourite biscuit.

Indeed, these biscuits are regarded as a bit of a luxury in South Africa because they are delicious, and also because it's hard work to make them. But the result is such a delightful mixture of textures and flavours, that it's well worth the effort.

Ingredients

Biscuits

  • 1 kg cake flour (approximately 7 1/3 cups)
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
  • 1 1/3 cups (330 ml) Demerara (yellow) sugar
  • 400 gram butter
  • 1 cup (250 ml) golden syrup or honey
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) very strong black coffee (you can use a strong instant ciffee such as Moccona, but should use at least 6 teaspoons)
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla essence

Coffee fudge filling

  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) strong instant coffee (for instance, Moccona); use 2 1/2 tablespoons if using weaker instant coffee
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) boiling water
  • 1 1/2 cup (375 ml) white sugar
  • 150 g butter or margarine
  • 1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons (100 ml) milk
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla

Method

  1. Sift the cake flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool.
  3. Add vanilla to cooled mixture.
  4. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in a little coffee. Add this mixture, and the rest of the coffee, to the cooled butter and syrup mixture.
  5. Add to flour and knead well to form soft dough. Cover and leave overnight.
  6. Use a sausage maker with a cookie fitting to form long strips of dough. You'll need a second person to help you! Although her mother used an electric mincer, Marietjie use an old Meat Mincer / Sausage Maker that is cranked by hand.
  7. Cut the cookies into even lengths. A square 5 cm cookie cutter is ideal.
  8. Place on greased cookie sheets and bake at 200 ºC for about 12 minutes until golden brown and baked through.
  9. Cool the biscuits on wire racks.
  10. To make the filling, dissolve the coffee in the boiling water and add the remaining ingredients, except the vanilla.
  11. Boil for 8 minutes, uncovered.
  12. Remove from the stove, and beat with a wooden spoon until thick and cooled.
  13. Sandwich the biscuits together with the coffee fudge filling.