Milk tart and tea are part of the South African lifestyle. If you’re living abroad, you probably have fond memories of enjoying this delectable treat. Just because you’re no longer in SA, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to miss out. Of course, you may not have time to whip up a milk tart any time you want to, but what if you had a recipe to create a batch of milk tart cookies that you can prep and freeze to be baked whenever you have a milk tart craving? Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? Well, today is your lucky day as we’re going to share our favourite milk tart cookies recipe with you. Spoiler alert, this one requires coffee creamer for that extra creamy hmm-hmm-hmm flavour.
South African cookies with a milk tart twist
This recipe makes a whopping 40 cookies, so you will never run out! You will also discover that making milk tart cookies is far easier than you think, and as far as biscuit recipes South Africa go, these are a firm favourite. First, you need to gather ingredients for the cookies and the filling.
For the cookies, you need:
- 2 tablespoons of coffee creamer (Cremora is undoubtedly the best)
- 1 and ¾ cups of self-raising flour
- 2 tablespoons of custard powder
- ½ cup of softened margarine
- 1/3 cup of castor sugar
- 1 egg
- Pinch of salt to taste
For the filling, you need:
- 1 tablespoon of coffee creamer
- ¼ tin of condensed milk
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon of cornflour
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
What to do
You must create the cookies and the filling separately. Quick and easy instructions on how to do this are below.
For the cookies:
- First and foremost, line a baking pan with baking paper and preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Using a bowl and wooden spoon, combine the coffee creamer and 4 tablespoons of warm water. Mix well to ensure that there are no lumps inside. Set this mixture to one side.
- In a separate bowl, sieve the flour and custard powder and add the salt.
- In another bowl, beat the sugar and margarine with an electric mixer until it becomes light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and the coffee creamer mixture and beat until well combined.
- Now, add the flour and custard combination to the same bowl and fold it in using a wooden spoon. This should start to form a dough.
- Form a ball with the dough using your hands, place it in a bowl, and cover with cling wrap. Place the bowl in the fridge for around 1 hour.
It’s important to let your cookie dough rise before baking. While your dough rests in the fridge, spend time making the filling.
For the filling:
- Whisk the coffee creamer with a ¾ cup of lukewarm water in a bowl until it’s smooth and free of lumps.
- Scoop the contents of the condensed milk tin into the same bowl and add the cornflour and egg. Combine all these ingredients until thick and smooth.
- Place the bowl in the microwave and heat on medium for 3 minutes. This may cause a few lumps to form. Remove the bowl from the microwave and whisk the mixture until it becomes smooth.
- Replace the bowl in the microwave for a further 3 minutes. Remove and whisk once more before replacing the bowl into the microwave for 1 more minute.
- Again, remove the bowl from the microwave and whisk to create a thick and smooth mixture (no lumps).
- Add ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon powder to the mixture and stir well to distribute the powder evenly. This forms a “custard.”
- Cover the custard bowl with cling film, allowing the film to touch the top of the custard to prevent skin from forming. Place the bowl to one side to allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
- Now, remove the cookie dough from the fridge and separate it into 40 balls of the same size.
- Place each ball onto the cookie tray, being careful to space them evenly apart.
- Using a spoon, press the middle of each cookie dough ball to create a space/pocket for the filling.
- Uncover the custard and spoon it into each cookie indent.
- Pop the baking tray into the oven and bake for 20 minutes until the cookies are light brown and cooked through.
- Remove the baking tray from the oven and dust lightly with the leftover cinnamon. Shake the cinnamon through a sieve to get the desired effect.
And there you have it; 40 perfectly delicious milk tart cookies ready to eat and enjoy. If you want to keep some aside for future baking, pop the unbaked cookies into a container or freezer bag and defrost and bake when the craving strikes. Milk tart cookies are best served with a hot cup of milky tea, coffee, or frothy hot chocolate. What could be more delectable than that!
Who knew that making milk tart cookies was so easy? Now you do!
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