Koeksusters are delicious. There’s no getting around it. Just as there’s no denying that they are not healthy. Not even remotely. But that doesn’t matter terribly much. A simple plaited dough, fried till crispy on the outside, and just cooked through. Then soaked in a vanilla sugar syrup, until the core is gooey with sugar, while the outside remains crunchy. This is a part of South African heritage I’m very proud of!
Special South African Koeksusters
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
A South African classic of plaited, deep-fried dough, soaked in a vanilla sugar syrup, creating a crunchy exterior and a gooey, sweet interior.
Ingredients
- 8.4 oz (240g) cake flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4.2 oz (125ml) milk
- 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
- 35 oz (1 kg) sugar
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the syrup
- Place all the syrup ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil, while stirring constantly.
- Reduce to a moderate simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and place in a metal bowl if you have one.
- Place the bowl in a bigger container (or kitchen sink) filled with ice water – you want to get your syrup really cold. You can place it in the freezer too (in a Ziploc bag) when cool enough.
- Leave to chill while making your dough.
For the dough:
- In a bowl, sift the dry ingredients together and rub in the butter. Add the milk and mix into a soft dough; knead thoroughly, then leave to stand for about 15 minutes.
- If the dough is too crumbly, add a dash more milk, if it’s too wet, sprinkle with a little more flour.
- Roll out to a thickness of about 5mm and cut into strips 1.5cm wide and about 7cm long. Divide the 1.5cm into strips 5mm wide, but keeping them joined at the top.
- Create plaits with the three strips, making sure that you press the strips together firmly at both ends – this is very important because if you don’t, the koeksuster will fall apart in the oil. I know the plaits might seem very small now, but they expand when they fry and then absorb all the syrup. Don’t be tempted to make them bigger!
- Deep fry the koeksusters in hot oil until golden brown – don’t be afraid to get them a rich, deepish brown.
- Drain quickly and immediately dip into the ice-cold syrup. I left mine in the syrup for maximum saturation, and only removed them before I was going to serve. Yum.
Notes
Koeksusters are best enjoyed fresh, but they can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days. For a twist, try adding a pinch of cinnamon to the dough. Ensure the syrup is warm, not hot, when dipping the koeksusters to prevent them from becoming too soggy.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: South African
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 koeksuster
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 35
- Sodium: 150
- Fat: 15
- Carbohydrates: 55
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 3
- Cholesterol: 10
This is the third New Year’s Eve in a row that we have made this recipe! It is a tradition in our family, as part of our Kwanzaa celebration :-) these are delicious, sweet and crispy, and my 10-year-old would love to eat the entire batch at one time if we let her.
Very nice recipe but they are like mini versions of the normal ones i always bought, i followed the measurements exactly (used a ruler even haha) theres alot of extra suryp as well but still tastes lovely
I’ve never heard of these, they look yummy¨!
Thanks Tamara! They are incredibly delicious – please try them out :)