Traditional Coffee Biscuits

Many South African families have memories of cake tins filled to the brim with these coffee biscuits. They are delicious sandwiched together with a coffee filling but as good, as a single biscuit. Do take care when storing the sandwiched biscuits, they do tend to become soggy after a week.

125g butter, room temperature

125ml brown sugar

125ml golden syrup

80ml strong coffee

5ml vanilla

560ml flour

10ml bicarbonate of soda

Preheat your oven to 160℃ and grease two large baking sheets.

Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until creamy and fluffy.

Add the golden syrup with the engine running and then add the coffee and vanilla. Mix until incorporated.

Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda in a mixing bowl and add spoonfuls to the butter mixture while continuing to beat the mixture.

Now scoop a teaspoon of the mixture into your hands and shape into a ball about the size of a walnut. Space the dough balls evenly on the baking sheets and flatten them slightly with your fingers or the tine of a fork.

Bake the biscuits for 15 minutes.

Allow the biscuits to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a clean tea towel to cool completely.

You may keep the biscuits as they are, as singles, or sandwich them together with a coffee filling.

Coffee filling:

30g butter

about half an egg yolk (I know, but one full yolk is too much!!)

250ml icing sugar, sifted

5ml instant coffee

30ml milk

Add all the above ingredients to a small mixing bowl and beat together by hand.

Eat the sandwiched biscuits within one week as they tend to become soft when kept for longer.