Traditional South African Koeksisters – My Way

Don’t let anyone ever put you off from making koeksisters! These traditional South African koeksisters – done my way, is not as sweet as the ones you generally buy. Yet, they are full of flavour and still syrupy, so you’re not missing out on anything.

They are so delicious that this recipe made it to my post on “12 Traditional South African Recipes You Should Try.”

For years I’ve shied away from making koeksisters. Admittedly I tried once before, and it was an epic fail. I remember following a recipe to the tee, and once I put them in the warm oil they unraveled before my eyes. What is most memorable is the sticky mess and actually hating every second of making them. I found comfort in knowing I could pop to the shop and buy them locally. If you don’t know, a koeksister is a traditional South African confectionery made of fried dough infused in syrup.

What has changed?

Since we’ve relocated from South Africa to New Zealand, I’ve realised that I’ve started longing for the treats we took for granted back home. One could easily get hold of Melktert, Soetkoekies, Malva Pudding, and traditional South African Koeksisters, and if not, your neighbour or gran was always busy baking something traditional to share. I’ve since managed to perfect the Soetkoekies (check out this easy recipe and have decided it’s time I face my fears and retry koeksisters.

I love this koeksister recipe, the balance of syrup and lemon makes it less sweet, and the addition of nutmeg to the dough really makes for an unforgettable experience. I love serving mine on this beautiful Le-Creuset serving dish. Maxwell and Williams also sell this beauty.

Tips for making easy Traditional South African Koeksisters

• Play around with the spices you add. I added a hint of nutmeg to the dough and a cinnamon stick to the boiling syrup.
• Place a wet towel cloth over the dough once you have cut it into strips to keep it from drying out.
• If you’re OCD like me, you may want to use a metal ruler to cut the dough into even-sized strips.
• Use a stainless steel dough cutter to cut the dough. Get it from Amazon
• If you’re unsure as to how to plait your koeksisters, follow our video below for guidance.
• Make sure to pinch the ends of your koeksisters thoroughly, if you don’t, they will unravel once they are placed in the hot oil.
• Prepare the area you will be working on. Ensure that you have everything ready before you start frying your dough. I placed the bowl of syrup next to the hot oil which I used to fry the dough in, and next to the syrup I placed a wire rack to sit the dunked koeksisters on.
• Under the wire rack, I placed tin foil so that the excess syrup dripped onto that – less of a mess to clean afterward.
• Chill the syrup in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before you fry the dough.
• The oil shouldn’t be too hot. Drop a small piece of dough into the oil, it’s ready when it floats to the surface within 4 seconds. If it fries right away your oil is too hot.

How to make Traditional Koeksisters – My Way

The koeksister syrup is made first by bringing to a light simmer the sugar, water, and cinnamon stick. Stir frequently. Once it has come to a simmer, gently boil it for 8-10 minutes without stirring. Make sure that it’s not rapidly boiling, the syrup will become too thick and may crystallize. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, vanilla essence, syrup, and cream of tartar. Place into the fridge to cool down.

While the syrup is getting on, start preparing the dough. Sift together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Gently work the butter into the flour with your fingertips. Add the milk and very gently stir. If you overdo this the dough will become tough. I used a knife to gently work the milk into the dough until it was combined.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough until it’s approximately 5 mm thick.

Using either a sharp knife or metal dough cutter cut the dough into strips (I did mine in 1 cm strips).

Crucial to this recipe…

The most critical part of the recipe is to ensure that you plait it tight enough and seal the ends by tightly pinching the individual strips together. I’ve put together a short video that you can watch to assist you in correctly plaiting the koeksisters.

Once you have successfully plaited the koeksisters, gently drop them into the medium warm oil. As mentioned before, the oil shouldn’t be too hot. Drop a small piece of dough into the oil, it’s ready when it floats to the surface within 4 seconds. If it fries right away your oil is too hot. Fry in small batches so it’s easier to control.

As the koeksisters come out of the hot oil, immediately dunk into the cold syrup, leave for a minute or so and then place onto the wire rack. Once most of the syrup has dripped off, place in an airtight container, and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze these once cooled for up to 3 months.

Keen to try other Traditional South African Sweet Recipes?

• Easy Microwave Fudge
• South African Malva Pudding
• Outydse Soetkoekies (Traditional South African Biscuits)
• Outydse Suid Afrikaanse Jamtertjies

Until next time!