Suikerdoempies (sugar & spice cookies)

South African day at the Dhahran Women's Group, Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia

One of the many treats that we made for South African day the year I was President of the Dhahran Women's Group was suikerdoempies, or sugar and spice cookies. I must admit, everyone was thoroughly spoiled, with a plate full of South African treats. We chose to do a tea because we felt that, young or old, black or white, Afrikaans or English, wherever you visited, you would always be welcomed into peoples' homes with a cup of tea and whatever treats were going.



South Africans as a nation are known for many things, some good, some bad, but the one thing we can excel in is the warmth of our welcomes. My mother said that how we go out of our way to make people feel at home is special. So we wanted to capture that essence for the South African day and the team of women really went out of their way to bake up a veritable storm of traditional South African treats of which suikerdoempies is one.

So, without further ado, let me share it with you.

Recipe for Suikerdoempies 

250 g butter or margarine
300 g (375 ml) sugar
2 eggs
375 g (700 ml) flour
10 ml cream of tartar
5 ml bicarbonate of soda
2 ml salt
25 ml cinnamon sugar

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and add to mixture. mix well. Cover and leave overnight in the fridge.

Heat the oven to 350 F. Roll the dough into small balls (about the size of a walnut). Dip each ball half way into the cinnamon sugar and put on a baking tray.  Flatten each ball with a fork. Bake for about 20 minutes until they start to turn brown. Delivers 6 dozen cookies.

Suikerdoempies