An old-fashioned childhood favourite, created perhaps by our grandmothers.

Makes about 36

Ingredients

• 500 ml (280 g) cake flour
• 10 ml (2 tsp) baking powder
• 2 ml (¼ tsp) salt
• 125 g butter or margarine, cold and cut into blocks
• 30 ml (2 Tbsp) castor sugar
• 3 extra-large eggs, separated
• about 50 ml water
• about 200 ml (250 g) smooth apricot jam
• 200 ml (160 g) sugar
• 500 ml (160 g) desiccated coconut

Method

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Rub in the butter and add castor sugar.

2. Add the egg yolks and water and knead lightly. Roll out to thickness of 3 mm and cut out rounds with a 7 cm diameter scone cutter.

3. Press into greased patty pan trays and spoon about 7 ml (1½ tsp) apricot jam in each.

4. Whisk the egg whites until soft peak stage, then add the sugar gradually while beating further to stiff. Add coconut and gently fold in. Spoon about 15 ml of mixture over the jam, using two spoons.

5. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 160°C and bake further for 12 – 15 minutes. Leave in pans for a few minutes to cool and turn out onto a wire rack to cool further.

Variation: Twee gevrietjies        

Chocolate icing (icing covers about 6)

• 500 ml (2 cups) icing sugar
• 60 ml (¼ cup) cocoa powder
• about 60 ml (¼ cup) warm water

Pink icing (icing covers about 6)

• 500 ml (2 cups) icing sugar
• few drops pink colourant
• about 45 ml (3 Tbsp) warm water

Sift icing sugar for each icing with the other ingredients and mix to spreadable consistency. Ice cookies with a half-moon of chocolate first, then the other section with the pink icing.

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