Classic Romany Creams Recipe

An epicurean adventure to: South Africa

Fancy sinking your teeth into a classic Romany Cream cookie with your cup of Joe?

This crowd-pleasing, crunchy chocolate coconut biscuit has been a South African hit for generations, literally. And of course, while store-bought Bakers Romany Creams always, always hit the spot, whipping up a homemade batch takes them to a whole different level.

For those familiar with the UK's discontinued Gypsy Creams, you'll notice the familial resemblance in name and equally wonderful textures and flavours.

While Gypsy Creams are made with oats and a vanilla filling, South Africa's Romany Cream biscuits feature rich cocoa powder, desiccated coconut and a milk chocolate filling.

This particular recipe is a gem, handed down by my award-winning mum who wowed the discerning palates of the VLU, much like the esteemed UK Women's Institute. Those ladies certainly know their stuff when it comes to biscuits!

In our guide, we'll spill the beans on how to make your Romany creams look almost identical to the ones from the packet.

We'll demonstrate how to easily shape the cut-out cookie by hand since no cookie cutter exists in an RC shape - we've searched high and low! Plus, we'll spill the secrets of achieving that awesome textured finish.

Fast Facts - South Africa

Location	Southernmost tip of the African continent. It is bordered by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and Lesotho.
Capital	Pretoria.
Language	South Africa has 11 official languages, including English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, Pedi, Venda, Tsonga, Swati, and Ndebele. English is widely spoken and is the language of business, while Zulu and Xhosa are the most commonly spoken African languages.
Population	Circa 60.2 million
Trivia	The Cape Floral Kingdom stands as one of the globe's six floral kingdoms, uniquely encompassed entirely within a single country.

Key ingredient notes and substitutions

**Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full list of ingredients.

Desiccated coconut

Depending on your location, some stores offer a choice between fine and medium-grade desiccated coconut. For a texture closer to shop-bought Romany Creams, opt for the slightly coarser medium-grade coconut.

If you're in the UK, where only one type is available, which tends to be quite coarse, it's perfect for this recipe.

Caster sugar

Let caster sugar always be your first choice. We haven't tried it with granulated sugar, but it should still work fine.

Unsalted butter

Feel free to substitute unsalted butter with salted butter. Just omit the half teaspoon of salt from the recipe.

The chocolate

All you need for the filling is regular slabs of milk or dark chocolate. A mix of both works too. No need for fancy brands, even store-brand chocolate works since the filling isn't a prominent feature in Romany Creams - it's more just the glue holding two halves together.

If you want to use something like Lindt - no one's stopping you!

Step-by-step instructions

1. Mix the cocoa powder with the boiled water until dissolved, then set it aside to cool slightly.

2. In a large bowl, add the room-temperature butter, caster sugar and vanilla essence.

3. Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy, around 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the cocoa powder mixture to the creamed butter and sugar mixture.

5. Beat until well incorporated, approximately 1-2 minutes. Don't worry if it looks slightly curdled at first, adding the flour will resolve that.

6. Sift the all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl with the cocoa mixture.

7. Next, add the desiccated coconut on top of the dry ingredients.

8. Using a rubber spatula or a large spoon, fold the ingredients together until mostly combined.

9. Set the spatula aside and use your hands to bring the dough together until well combined and a soft dough forms.

10. Tip the dough onto a large piece of clingfilm. Shape it into a rough, flat circle of approximately 2.5cm (1") thickness. Cover it completely with the cling film and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.

11. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F. Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.

12. Sprinkle some flour on the work surface and roll out the chilled dough to a thickness of about 6mm.
    
    Note: Remember to sprinkle only a small amount of flour on top of the dough and around the rolling pin before you begin rolling. Avoid using too much flour on top, as it may show once baked. Alternatively, roll the dough out between two pieces of baking or wax paper.

13. Take a fork and scrape rough lines across the entire surface of the rolled-out dough.

14. Also, scrape lines in the opposite direction to create a rough, textured, criss-cross pattern.

15. Use a round 5cm diameter cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. For the Romany Cream shape, use your fingers to gently pinch the sides of each cut-out cookie into more of an oval.
    
    Note: Feel free to use any cookie cutter shape you prefer, or roll the dough into small balls and flatten them with a fork.

16. Place the cut-out cookies on a lined baking tray or cookie tray, leaving approximately 2.5cm (1") between each cookie. If the trays are not going into the oven immediately, place them in the fridge. This helps the cookies retain their shape during baking.

17. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 14-15 minutes or until they achieve a dark, golden brown colour.
    
    Note: If you rolled the cookies thinner than 6mm, they may need less time to bake, so check around the 12-minute mark.

18. Allow the cookies to cool on their baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.

19. Pair up the cookies for sandwiching by matching similar shapes and sizes.

20. Break the chocolate into smaller pieces and place it in a small microwaveable bowl. Melt the chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until fully melted.

21. After melting the chocolate, let it sit for around 5 minutes to firm up slightly. This prevents the chocolate from being too runny and running off the cookies.

22. Spread a teaspoon of melted chocolate on one cookie, leaving its paired-up friend without chocolate, as it will be the top half of the sandwich.

23. For best results, spread chocolate on several cookies first before sandwiching them. Allowing the chocolate to set a bit prevents it from oozing out once sandwiched.

24. Once sandwiched, allow the chocolate filling to be fully set before handling the cookies or transferring them to cookie tins. This ensures they maintain their shape and integrity.
    
    Enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee!

Variations

• Rather than sandwiching the cookies, dip each one halfway into the chocolate and place it on a tray lined with parchment paper to set.

• Use a white chocolate filling instead of milk or dark chocolate.

• To make mint Romany Creams, use melted mint chocolate for the filling. Use the mint chocolate with a fine texture, Peppermint Crisp won't work.

• Opt for icing as the filling instead of chocolate.

• For coffee-flavoured Romany Creams, add a couple of tablespoons of instant espresso powder or instant coffee granules to the cocoa powder and hot water.

Storage

Store Romany Creams in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.

For longer storage, freeze them in a sealed container, separating layers with parchment paper, for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature when ready to enjoy.

More South African cookie recipes

Condensed milk cookies

Outydse Soetkoekies (Spice Biscuits)

Hertzoggies

More sandwiched cookie recipes

Casadinhos

Gypsy Creams