CHERRY CHRISTMAS COOKIES
Brilliant red and green candied cherries add extra sparkle to these delicious holiday delights. The best is that this recipe is easy to mix up ahead of time, you can made the dough in November and kept it in the freezer until I needed it in December!
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups red and green candied cherries, halved
1 cup pecan halves

In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla; beat until fluffy. Add flour; mix well. Stir in cherries and pecans. Chill for 1 hour.
Shape dough into three 10-in. rolls; wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze up to 2 months or until ready to bake. To bake, cut frozen rolls into 1/8-in. slices.
Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 325° F (160 degrees C) for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool on wire racks.
Yield: about 11 dozen.
Photo and note: Amanda Conradie:
Ek het egter net 1 koppie cherries gebruik, maar dan 1 koppie gedroogde cranberries bygesit. Ek het nie pekan neute gehad nie, maar het walnuts en macadamia neute gebruik.

(SHORTBREAD) BROSBROOD HARTJIES
500 g botter (sag)
250 g strooisuiker (ekstra om te bedek)
600 g koekmeel
100 g maizena

Verroom suiker en botter tot lig en roomerig.
Sif meel en maizena 3 keer saam.
Werk die droë bestanddele en botter saam tot sagte deeg.
Rol deeg so 5 mm dik uit en druk uit.
Bak teen 140°C vir 20-25 min.
Laat afkoel en rol in ekstra strooisuiker.
Baie belangrik, nooit tot bruin nie.
Ook nie margarine nie, dit werk net nie.
Ek het 73 koekies uit gekry.
Foto: Linda Wessels

JOHANNA SE GEMMERKOEKIES (altyd ‘n sukses)
Resep en foto: Johanna Viljoen Zwiegelaar
FOOD LOVERS RECIPES
250 g margarien
2 koppies suiker
1 koppie stroop
2 eiers
4 kopppies koekmeel
2 teelepels gemmer
1 teelepel koeksoda
1 teelepel pypkaneel
1 teelepel gemengde speserye
½ teelepel sout

Meng margarien, suiker en stroop goed.
Voeg die eiers by en meng.
Voeg die droë bestanddele by en meng baie goed.
Maak balletjies en druk net liggies aan die balletjies, dit sprei vanself.
Bak so ± 8 min op 180 ºC.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WITH SELFRAISING FLOUR
225 g unsalted butter, softened
225 g caster sugar
170 g condensed milk
350 g self raising flour, sifted
100 g chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan)
Beat butter, sugar and condensed milk until pale and fluffy.
Mix in flour and then add the choc chips.
Shape into walnut size balls and place onto lined baking sheets spaced well apart.
Bake for 12~15 minutes. leave to set for 5 min before serving.
Recipe and photo:  Chantell Scheepers Mustoe

CHOCOLATE MELTING MOMENTS
Pure butter biscuit platter made by me for an engagement.
(This platter has 90 biscuits – 6 different recipes)
250 g butter
¾ cup icing sugar
1 egg yolk
¾ cup maizena/cornflour
flour to make a soft dough *  see note
Melted chocolate for decorating
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in egg yolk and maizena.
Mix in enough sifted flour to make a soft dough.
Roll out dough and cut into shapes with a cutter.
Bake at 180°C for 15 – 20 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
When cool decorate with melted chocolate.
*Note:
Add 2 cups of flour and then half a cup at a time until dough is soft but not sticky.
If biscuits are made on a cold day, lesser flour is required because the cold weather tends to keep butter fairly hard, on a warm day however, butter tends to be very soft so more flour is required to make a workable dough.
Photo: Shenaaz Nabie

MAUREEN SE SPESERYKOEKIES
6 koppies koekmeel
6 teelepels bakpoeier
250 g Rama
2 koppies suiker
3 eiers
1 teelepel gemmer
1 teelepel kaneel
½ teelepel koeksoda in ‘n bietjie melk op gelos

Room Rama en suiker.
Kilts eiers en koeksoda by.
Voeg droë bestanddele by.
Maak stywe deeg, rol klein balletjies en druk plat. Smeer geklitste eier oor en bak teen 190°C vir 10-12 minute.
Ek rol deeg uit en gebruik cookie cutters en ek sit ook nie eier oor voor ek dit bak nie.
Resep geplaas deur Jacqui Van Zyl Hodgkinson
Foto: Jacqui Van Zyl Hodgkinson

LOVE BITES
150 grams of soft butter
1/2 cup of icing sugar
3 tablespoons of oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 cup of corn flour
1 & 1/2 cups of flour
A slab of plain chocolate melted in the microwave for 40 seconds in a heatproof bowl ( make sure the chocolate are broken into pieces) take the melted chocolate out and stir gently until smooth. Do this while your baked biscuits are busy cooling off.
Preheat the oven to 170° C and line two baking trays with baking paper.
In a large bowl , with electric hand mixer, whisk the butter for 2 minutes, next add the icing sugar, oil and vanilla essence and whisk for 4 minutes .
Next add the dry ingredients and whisk until just well combined .
Spoon mixture into a piping bag fitted with a star shaped nozzle .
Pipe round rosettes in neat rows and 2 cm apart .
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until you see the edges turn a golden brown .
Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Next lay some baking or greaseproof paper on your table .
Next to it your biscuits and your bowl of melted chocolate and a teaspoon.
At this stage I sit down on my comfy chair and get started.
On the base of each biscuit place a teaspoons worth of melted chocolate and use the back of the teaspoon to spread the chocolate allowing a little to go over the edges of the biscuit .
Place the biscuit , chocolate side facing you on the greaseproof paper .
Repeat process with remaining biscuits … Halfway through setting of the chocolate, take a fork and make a zigzag motion through the chocolate to create the pretty pattern .
Allow to set completely , turn the biscuits around , and you got Love Bites .
Recipe: Fatima Sydow
Photo: Chantell Scheepers Mustoe en Petre van Jaarsveld
Petre se kommentaar:  Perfek vir die koekiedrukker…

KANEELTJIES
10 koppies koekmeel
4 koppies suiker
6 teelepels kremetart
6 eiers
500 g margarine
3 teelepels koeksoda
Bietjie sout

Klits margarine, suiker en eiers tot donsig.
Voeg droë bestanddele by meng goed. As dit nog bietjie pap is voeg bietjie meel by.
Maak balletjies, rol in kaneel en suiker.
Druk met duim ‘n duik in middel van koekie.
Bak 180ºC vir + – 20 min of gaar.
Dieselfde resep kan gebruik word vir n speserye koekie,voeg net 5 teelepels allspice by.
Resep en foto: Alta Gunter Van Dyk

SJOKOLADEKRAKERS:
880 gram magarine saggemaak,(nie smelt nie)
480 gram suiker
800 gram koekmeel
20 gram kakaopoeier (50 ml)
400 gram hawermout
400 gram klapper
10 ml bakpoeier
Room magarine en suiker tot donsig, voeg res van bestanddele by tot sagte deeg.
Maak balletjies, druk met vurk plat of gare tolletjie so het ek myne gedoen,
Bak vir +-20 min in 180 grade C oond,
Foto: Alta Gunter Van Dyk

CONSTRUCTION GINGERBREAD RECIPE
250 ml Margarine or butter
250 ml sugar
5 ml bicarbonate of soda
250 ml molasses (sulphured) OR 250 ml liquid glucose OR 250 ml syrup OR a mix of half / half
5 ml ginger
5ml cinnamon
1000 ml (4 cups) cake flour
Cream margarine, sugar, bicarb and molasses / liquid glucose together well
Add spices and flour gradually, blending well after each addition
Mix together until a crumbly dough forms
Roll out dough to 4-5 mm thick
Bake at 180 degrees C for more or less 25 minutes.
Icing:
ek het royal icing met actiwhite vir die eerste keer probeer en nogal lekker gewerk
75ml kraan water gemeng met 2 teelepels Actiwhite (laat staan vir 15 minute )
voeg by 4 koppies fyn gesifte versier suiker.
Klits met k beater op nommer 4 vir 5-7 minute.
Voeg klein bietjie water by as te styf.
http://www.foodloversrecipes.com/2017/11/royal-icing-met-actiwhite/
Recipe: Marsha Winklebeker (google) posted by Jacqui Van Zyl Hodgkinson
Picture: Jacqui Van Zyl Hodgkinson