Zand Gebak

To make the cookie dough, cream the butter and sugar with a pastry cutter. Then add the vanilla, salt, egg and baking powder, and then the flour. Start with 2 cups of flour, and add more if you need it. Knead for a couple of minutes. Dough should be rollable. On a floured surface, roll the dough out thinly (about 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch) and cut into 2-inch circles. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes, but don’t let them brown. They should just be a cream colour.

To prepare the mocha butter, put the butter in a bowl. This works best if it’s softened (NOT MELTED). Then, while beating the butter, slowly add the sugar and coffee. I make strong coffee with 2 heaping teaspoons instant coffee in 1/2 cup of hot water. Test it every once in a while to get the mocha flavour you like. To get a stronger flavour, add more instant coffee to the water. Don’t let the sweetness overpower the mocha flavour, or they’ll end up way too sweet.

Take the baked cookie and top it with the mocha butter. Spread approximately 1 teaspoon on each cookie. Then, stick the cookies somewhere cold (in the coldroom, or the porch if it’s winter, or the fridge or freezer) until the mocha part is hard.

Then, melt the chocolate chips with a little bit of butter, let it cool a little bit, and drip it over the mocha (I usually spread it out a tiny bit). Then, while the chocolate is still soft, stick a pecan or almond on top. I usually store these in the freezer, or they get too soft. They can be eaten straight from the freezer; they don’t have to thaw.