Soetkoekies - Sweet Wine and Spice South African Cookies

• butter↗4 tablespoons

  softened

• all-purpose flour↗2 - 2 1⁄4 cups
• cooking spray
• baking soda↗1 teaspoon
• ground cinnamon↗1 teaspoon
• ground ginger↗1⁄2 teaspoon
• ground cloves↗1⁄4 teaspoon
• salt↗1⁄4 teaspoon
• dark brown sugar↗1 1⁄4 cups
• egg↗1

  lightly beaten

• port wine↗1⁄4 cup

  (or Madeira or a sweet sherry)

• blanched almond↗1⁄2 cup

  finely chopped

• whole blanched almonds↗15

  split lengthwise into halves

• egg white1

  combined with 2 teaspoons of water and beaten to a froth

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray. Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt together and set aside.

2. 2

   In a deep bowl, cream the butter and the dark-brown sugar together, mashing and beating them against the sides of the bowl until they are thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, then add the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Beat in the wine and chopped almonds.

3. 3

   With your hands, vigorously knead the dough in the bowl until it can be gathered into a somewhat firm, compact ball. If the dough then seems too soft, knead in up to 1/4 cup more flour, adding it a tablespoon or so at a time.

4. 4

   On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rough circle about 1/4 inch thick. With a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, cut it into 2-inch rounds. Arrange the rounds about 1 inch apart on the buttered baking sheets. Then gather the scraps of dough into a ball, roll it out into another circle, and cut out rounds as before.

5. 5

   Press a blanched almond half lightly into the center of each Soetkoekie and brush the entire top surface of the cookie with the beaten egg white-and-water mixture.

6. 6

   Bake the cookies in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes, or until they are crisp and firm to the tough. With a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. The cookies will keep for up to two weeks in a tightly covered jar.