My Mother-In-Law Cathy’s South African Rusks Recipe

My beloved Mother-In-Law Cathy’s South African Rusks Recipe

Rusks are a snack my husband grew up with in South Africa, a double baked, chunky biscuit his mother Cathy would always make.

It’s such a joy to bake one of his most favourite recipes with our own children now and whilst I’m familiar with Rusks for babies and small children, these kind are intended for adults if they so wish, too!

There’s something so special about creating recipes handed down through the generations, treasured dishes and bakes enjoyed over the years by those you love FOR those you love.

My boys adore these crunchy treats.

The rusks are also perfect for breakfast on the run or as dessert in packed lunches, as well as picnics when the sun shines.

Thank you Cathy, my fabulous mother-in-law for this super recipe, below.

You can also make these with gluten-free flour if you prefer but I’ve not tried them with that flour so you’ll need to experiment.

If you prefer your rusks/biscuits less sweet, simply limit the sugar in the recipe and you can add cinnamon or other spices to jazz them up a bit too, if you like.

Ingredients:

• 500 g plain flour
• 130 g self raising flour
• 225g sugar (we used muscovado)
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 118 ml virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Sieve the flour, add the sugar, mix in the eggs, add have the oil and stir well. Press into a greased oven dish approx 1 inch thick and bake for 20 minutes at 180°C.

Once out of the oven let it stand for 5 minutes. Once cool cut it into fingers or any shapes you want onto a wooden board. Put them back in the oven then turn to 90°C and bake for 90 minutes to allow them to dry out.

Test to see if they are hard and if they are, remove from the oven.

Let me know if you try them.

For more recipes, check out the Food category.