Lepelsteeltjies

Lepelsteeltjies is an Afrikaans word for spoon handle. The name comes from the fact that you use the handle of a wooden spoon to make the hole in which the apricot jam sits. The cookies/biscuits are made from cheddar cheese, with a little apricot jam in the centre.

But “spoon handle biscuits” don’t sound quite right. You could probably call these “cheesy jam-hole biscuits” (I guess), but for this post we’ll rather stick with Lepelsteeltjies.

Put it on the table:

Lepelsteeltjies is another much loved South African combination of savoury and sweet and a cookie that we always have in our house. But it’s also a cookie that disappears very quickly!

Ingredients

250ml (105g) cake flour

1.25ml (¼ teaspoon) salt

1.25ml (¼ teaspoon) baking powder

310ml (120g) cheddar cheese, finely grated

125ml (120g) butter, at room temperature

apricot jam (smooth)

Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and mix gently.

Combine flour, salt and baking powder

Add the cheese and butter and mix. (I use a spoon first and then my fingers to make sure everything is well mixed into a manageable dough).

Mix the butter and cheese with the dry ingredients

Spray a baking tray with non-stick spray or grease with butter. Roll the dough into balls and place on the tray.

Here’s a tip: Because the jam tends to overflow (when, in my excitement, I put too much in one cookie), I always place foil in my baking tray to prevent the jam from running directly onto the tray. Less cleaning afterwards – you know me!

Dough rolled into small balls

Now it’s time to use the wooden spoon. Dip the handle of the wooden spoon into some flour and make a shallow hole in the centre of the cookie. The flour prevents the dough from sticking to the handle of the wooden spoon.

Make holes in the dough balls with a wooden spoon

Spoon apricot jam into each cookie and bake for approximately 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

Cookies filled with apricot jam

Remember to let the lepelsteeltjies cool a bit before tasting the first one – that apricot jam is very hot! I made a cup of hot chocolate and went out to enjoy a couple of my home baked cookies in the garden. The rest of the lepelsteeltjies I packed in an airtight container (which Berto almost devoured in one go after work)!

Lepelsteeltjies and hot chocolate