South African Soetkoekies

Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt together in a bowl.

In a mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar together until they are thoroughly blended. Add the egg and mix.

Add the sifted flour in small batches at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the Madeira/port/sweet sherry and chopped almonds and blend well.

Mix/knead the dough until it forms a ball. If the dough is too sticky, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it is firmer. Turn the ball out onto a piece of wax paper and form a round loaf with a 2-inch diameter. Wrap it up in the wax paper and refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes until firm. Mix together the egg white and water and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Once firm, remove the loaf from the fridge, cut 1/4 inch slices and place the slices onto a greased cookie sheet. Press a whole almond into the center of each Soetkoekie. Brush the entire top surface of the cookie with the beaten egg mixture. Bake for 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack after about 5 minutes.

These can be stored in an airtight container for about 2 weeks.