South African condensed milk biscuits (Kondensmelk koekies)

Condensed milk biscuits are well-known in South-Africa. They are similar to New Zealand condensed milk biscuits, but made with eggs.

The dough is soft and very pliable, which means you can shape your biscuits with a cookie press, or even a meat grinder with a cookie attachment, if you are so lucky to own one.

This recipe is for a small batch, but feel free make more by multiplying the recipe.

Makes about 6 dozen biscuits.

Ingredients

  • 225 gram butter
  • 2/3 cup (140 gram) sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 100 gram condensed milk (1/4 of a 397 gram tin)
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) golden syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) caramel or vanilla essence
  • 3 cups (375 gram) flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon (4 ml) baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) cream of tartar
  • pinch of salt

Optional: Good quality, round chocolate chip morsels (we used Belgium Dark chocolate chips)

Method

  1. Cream butter and sugar together until soft and light.
  2. Beat in the egg and mix well.
  3. Add the condensed milk, golden syrup and caramel or vanilla essence and mix thoroughly.
  4. Sift the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt over the creamed mixture and combine well into dough. Knead lightly if necessary.
  5. Pre-heat your oven to 170°C
  6. Form biscuits with a cookie press or a meat grinder with a cookie attachment. If you’re using a meat grinder, make each biscuits about 5 cm long. If you don't have either, roll dough into little nut-sized balls and flatten them with a fork.
  7. Optional: Decorate the biscuits with little round chocolate chip pieces, as shown in the photo.
  8. Bake at a moderate heat for about 10 to 15 minutes. The biscuits will be straw coloured when they are done.
  9. Remove from oven.
  10. Use an egg lifter to loosen each biscuit from the baking trays while they are still warm, but leave them on the trays to cool down.
  11. Store them in an airtight container.

Notes

About the photo: the apron that we used as a back drop for the photo was hand-sewn by Marietjie's great-grandmother.