To bite into a glistening koeksister is to surrender—shamelessly—to the festive season’s most indulgent pleasure.
Ingredients (syrup): 800 g white sugar; 530 ml water; 1 Tbsp lemon juice; 2½ tsp cream of tartar; 1 tsp grated ginger; 1 cinnamon stick; pinch of fine salt. Dough: 500 g self-raising flour; 50 g white sugar; 50 g butter; 20 g baking powder; 200 ml milk; 50 ml cream; 2 eggs; pinch of salt; oil for deep frying.
Make the syrup the day before: heat water until warm, then add sugar, lemon juice, cream of tartar, ginger, salt and the cinnamon stick. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes until sugar dissolves. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate overnight. Keep the syrup cold before using.
Mix all dry ingredients. Rub in butter until crumbly. Add milk, cream and eggs. Mix well. Form the dough into a ball, wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Roll dough out to about 1 cm thickness. Cut into 1 x 6 cm strips. Take three strips, pinch one end together, braid and pinch the other end closed.
Heat 2 cm of oil in a pan to medium heat. Fry koeksisters until golden brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately dunk into the cold syrup for a minute. Place on a wire rack to cool.
Ah, crispy, sticky and sweet—the perfect West Coast Christmas treat!
Recipe: lovelygreens.com.
