Lepelsteeltjies / Cheese & Apricot Jam Biscuits

These savoury, cheesy, biscuit bites with a tiny apricot jam center are one of my childhood favourites. Super easy to make and simply delicious! “Soet-sout-kombinasie op sy beste!”

This recipe is for a small batch of biscuits, but you can easily double the recipe for more. I use a thin (old-fashioned) wooden spoon to make the indentations for the jam (giving these biscuits their name), but you can use any similar, small utensil or simply your finger.

View the how-to clip here: Alana Smith (@alanasmithsweetphotography) • Instagram photos and videos

Makes about 12 small biscuits

CHEESE BISCUIT DOUGH

cheddar cheese, 50g (about 1/2 cup finely grated cheese) - a mature/aged cheese works well (in New Zealand Tasty/Noble works well)

unsalted butter, 50g

plain/cake/all-purpose flour, 75g (125ml or 1/2 cup)

baking powder, 1.25ml (1/4 teaspoon)

paprika or cayenne pepper, 1.25ml (1/4 teaspoon) - optional

apricot jam, to top each dough ball, about 2.5ml (1/2 teaspoon) per biscuit (about 2 tablespoons all together)

To start, preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and line a baking tray with baking paper (or a reusable silicone mat).

Finely grate the cheese and roughly chop the butter before placing all the ingredients (except for the apricot jam) in a large bowl or a food processor bowl fitted with a blade attachment.

Rub the ingredients together or blitz in a food processor for a minute or two until a crumbly consistency.

Tip the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead/press together until it comes together in a ball (don’t be scared of working it a little as it is really difficult to overwork the dough).

Roll tablespoon amounts into balls (about 15g each for small bites).

Place on the lined baking tray.

Make a small hole in the top of each dough ball (best using a small wooden spoon end).

Dollop apricot jam into each hole.

Bake for approximately 10 minutes until the biscuits are a light golden colour and have a matt appearance (they will be soft when they come out of the oven).

Leave the biscuits on the tray to cool and firm up (you can transfer them to a cooling rack if you wish but be mindful that they will be fragile when fresh out of the oven).

Store in an airtight container (they keep well at room temperature for several weeks).