APRICOT AND OATS SLICES
2 cups chopped apricot
2 cups dried cranberries
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup flour
16 Tablespoons of butter or margarine
1 cup golden syrup
1 cup of coconut

Melt butter and syrup in a pot, in a separate bowl add all other ingredients, when butter has melted add to the dried mixture, mix through well so that everything is incorporated. Press into greased deep dish and bake at 180 ºC till golden brown ± 25 min.
When done let it cool before cutting into bars or blocks or whatever you decide.
Photo: Tracy Vohra

GINGERBREAD COOKIES
½ cup butter
½ brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
¼ cup honey
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 ½ cups cake flour
2 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cloves

Preheat oven to 180°C.
Cream butter, sugar, molasses and honey together.
Beat in egg and vanilla.
In another bowl combine dry ingredients.
Add the wet ingredients and mix well.
On a floured surface in batches roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness.
Cut using cookies cutters or stencils.
Place on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake about 8-10 min until nicely browned and sturdy.
Ice when completely cooled.
I used royal icing to decorate mine.
Recipe and photo: Nicolette Papas

http://www.foodloversrecipes.com/2015/04/heibre-se-royal-icing/

FESTIVE CUSTARD DREAM BISCUITS
This is a must with my kids every Christmas. It is a recipe passed on from my grandmother.
We just baked a batch and will love to share with all.❤
500 g butter
4 eggs
1 cup of custard powder
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
2 cups of sugar
6 cups of flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla essence and cream some more.
Add in the custard powder, baking powder and salt and mix in.
Finally add the cake flour and form into a soft dough that’s rollable.
Shape into whatever shape you want and bake at 180 ºC for 15 minutes.
Cool and decorate with melted chocolate.
Recipe and photo:  Yasmeen Ibrahim

PERFECT GINGER BISCUITS
250 grams margarine
6 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 jumbo eggs
1 cup golden syrup
3 teaspoons bicarb mixed with
2 tablespoons milk
pinch of salt

Cream the margarine and sugar well for about ten minutes. Add the eggs on at a time, mix after each,  add the ginger and syrup. Mix well. Add the milk mixture and mix. Sift flour and add to the mixture.
Mix to a soft dough. Make little balls, place on a baking tray and bake in over at 180°C for 10 minutes.
I rolled mine in brown sugar, before baking.
Photo: Dorathy Cape

DASSIE SE “MELTING MOMENTS”
250 g sagte botter
½ kopie versiersuiker
½ koppie mielieblom
2 koppies koekmeel
1 teelepel vanilla geursel

Meng botter, versiersuiker en koekmeel saam. Voeg die geursel by. Meng en voeg laaste die meelmengsel by.
Meng goed met hande. Dis ‘n baie sagte deeg. Sit in koekiedrukker en druk uit op bakplaat.
Bak ±10 minute op 160°C.

Versier:
Kersie moet op rou deeg gesit word.
As koekies uit die oond kom, pak ek dit op ‘n klam vadoek tot hul afgekoel is.
Kan ook versiersuiker oor sif of die punte in gesmelte sjokolade doop.
Resep en foto: Dassie Meyer

CHERRY CHRISTMAS SLICES
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2½ 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  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  slices.
Place on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake at 160º C for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool on wire racks. Yield: about 11 dozen.
Photo: Alta Gunter Van Dyk
Nota:   Wat ek wil byvoeg; sit deeg eers in yskas soos resep sê, rol dan in kleefplastiek; sit op skinkbord en vries; dan sny dit baie maklik.

MAKLIKE MELTING MOMENTS
1 koppie botter
½ koppie versiersuiker
1 teelepel vanilla essense
1 ½ koppie meel
½ koppie mielieblom
1/8 teelepel sout

Klits die suiker en botter saam. Sif die droë bestanddele saam. Meng die meel en botter mengsel saam. Rol balletjies. Druk plat met vurk. Bak tot ligbruin teen 180°C.
Jy kan dit ook deur ‘n pypsak sit soos die eerste foto.
Foto: Monique van der Merwe

QUICK AND EASY NO BAKE CHOCOLATE BLOCKS
1,5 cups chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup syrup
1/4 cup butter
1,5 cups oats
1,5 cups coconut
1 cup chopped pecan nuts
1 cup cherries

Microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, syrup and butter on high for 2 minutes.
Remove from microwave and stir until all chocolate is melted. Add oats, coconut, pecans and cherries. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Line pan with baking paper. Scoop mixture into pan and flatten evenly.
Refrigerate 3-4 hours. Cut into blocks.
Recipe and photo: Zelda Ellis
Nota:  Lorett Brittnell  – Ek hou niks van rou oats. Ek bak al my oats eers in die oond voordat ek dit in resepte soos die gebruik. Dis heerlik!

RAFFAELLO HIMSELF
330 g white chocolate
100 g soft butter
100 g powdered sugar
12 g vanilla sugar
160 g grated coconut
20 ml of orange juice
10 ml Amaretto (leaves without) hazelnuts whole
grated coconut for rolling

Melt the white chocolate in small pieces in a water bath or micro.
Put the butter with the icing sugar and the vanilla sugar in a bowl and stir until frothy.
Add the white chocolate, the orange juice, the amaretto and the grated coconut and mix all the ingredients. Put the cream in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Use a teaspoon to remove small amounts of the cream, press a nut into the cream and shape into a ball.
Roll the ball one after the other in the coconut patties.
Finished!
Store refrigerated, then keep them longer … about 2 to 3 weeks.
Photo: Sabine Kurasch

TANNIE LENA SE SOETKOEKIES
Wat ‘n voorreg is dit nie om met al 2 my oorlede oumas en oumagroot se koekie gereedskap koekies te bak nie. Die outydse roller, gewone koekie drukker en my gunstling die ysterroller koekiedrukker.
Ek het 10 kg outydse soetkoekies gebak en die nostalgie daarvan as mens weet my oumas het jare terug dieselfde gedoen met die gereedskap.
Ek dink ons vergeet partymaal wat die geskiedenis is agter alles. My oupa het vir my ouma koekies bakplate en broodbakke gemaak uit ou olie kanne.
Ons het dit rerig maklik in vandag se tyd met al die nuwe kombuis tegnologie.
Ps my voete vrek seer van al die koekie gebakkery heeldag!

½ koppie botter/margarien
½ teelepel vanielje geursel
2 teelepels bakpoeier
1 koppie suiker
2 eetlepels melk
½ teelepel sout
1 eier
2 ½ koppies koekmeel

Brei botter sag met houtlepel en voeg suiker geleidelik by, voeg vanielje, eier en melk by en meng goed. Sif al die droë bestanddele by en meng tot bol deeg is. Laat staan vir 1 uur voor uitrol. Rol dun uit en druk af soos verkies.
Meng 1 eiergeel met bietjie melk om bo-op koekies te smeer voor gebak word.
Verhit oond tot 180 ºC.
Bak vir 8-10 min.
Dink dit is ‘n algemene resep sal dalk al iewers wees, maar dit is heerlik as dit vars gebak is!!
Resep geplaas deur Mari Marais
Foto: Mari Marais