It was only about 3 hours into the drive along Route 62 when I realised what I was actually doing; I was travelling 400km into the middle of the Klein Karoo (aka nowhere) in search of ‘The Perfect Koeksister Recipe’. Those that know me, expect nothing less, but still, it was quite crazy. Even for me.
To catch you up to speed, a koeksister is a plaited, deep-fried doughnut drenched in a seriously sticky syrup. It’s a treat as South African as milk tart, biltong and beer. Like American’s and their doughnuts? Koeksisters are a big deal here – we take them as seriously as our rugby! We even have a monument dedicated to the treat! My search for sweetness led me all the way to the little town of Ladismith where rumour has it, I’d find the best. Although tuisnywerheid’s (little shops selling home-baked treats) have all but died out in the big cities, in a small town like Ladismith it is still the place to go for the best cakes, rusks and jams (and  also the latest skinner/gossip!)
Only the finest bakers get their goodies displayed on the shelves here. It was while scanning the fully-laden racks that I met Lallie Botha who tells me she was Ladismith’s first koeksister queen back in 1972 when she founded the tuisnywerheid. Back then, she would go through an 85L drum of oil each month! I was convinced I was in the right place – the people of Ladismith definitely love their koeksisters! After giving me some tips on what to look out for in the perfect koeksister, Lallie dished the dirt on who makes the best and sent me on my way (with 5 bottles of homemade jam). While walking through the town of Ladismith, I couldn’t resist stopping a few locals to ask about their favourite koeksisters. But it seemed the town was completely divided on who makes the best and I sensed a little competition between two particular bakers. It was definitely time for me to meet the koeksister contenders!
My first visit was to the home of Euradia Muller, who greeted me, voorskoot (apron) and all, before hurrying back into the kitchen while fretting that her koeksisters were now sitting in the syrup too long! Over a cup of milky rooibos tea brewed in a green teapot on the stove, Euradia caught her breath long enough to tell me that there are no secrets when it comes to making koeksisters! I could barely hide my disappointment. Had I come all this way for nothing?
Euradia wakes up at the crack of dawn to make the dough before the heat of the Klein Karoo sets in. She uses an heirloom ruler to measure her koeksisters – a lady after my own OCD heart! Her ‘sisters are cut into rectangles which are then halved and twisted before being deep-fried and plunged into ice cold syrup. She tells me that it is very important that the syrup is very cold. Finally! I had something to go on! My excitement was short-lived though as she then explained that the recipe was passed down to her by her mother who refused to give it to anyone. The recipe used to be kept under lock and key but is now engraved in her mind and she cooks it off by heart. My koeksister trek (mission) seemed more and more doomed. On leaving I was handed a neatly wrapped tray laden with freshly baked koeksisters and the instructions to store them in the fridge as soon as possible. But, as far as a recipe was concerned, I left empty-handed!
My disappointment was immediately forgotten though when I felt the warm Karoo hospitality the minute I was welcomed through the backdoor of Cynthia du Plessis’ farm kitchen. After I was shown photos of her 4 grandchildren, and told the long story of how her and her husband Willem moved from Pretoria to stay in Ladismith, I finally managed to sway the conversation back to her koeksisters. On hearing whose kitchen I’d just come from, Cynthia tells me she used to be a fan of Euradia’s but now bakes her own (I didn’t press the clearly sensitive matter!) But the big question was, would she share her secret recipe with an English girl from the big city?
I was in luck! Cynthia welcomed my enthusiasm with open arms and proceeded to run me through all her baking secrets like I was her granddaughter! I learnt to knead dough with my fists like a real Afrikaans tannie and mastered the trick to twisting the koeksisters just the right way so they don’t unravel while frying. And when it came to the syrup, I thought I was terribly clever when I eagerly offered my new-found knowledge from Euradia to use ice cold syrup, only to be told that it was actually the wrong way to make koeksisters! Ai. It seemed the only thing the two ladies did agree on, was that koeksisters need to be stored in the fridge to stay crisp. At least there was that!
As we finished deep-frying the twists, I stole a taste of Cynthia’s koeksisters. As to who’s were the best? I was undecided as they were equally delicious! But thankfully, this time, I left the kitchen (via the backdoor) with my mind filled with years of wisdom, a scribbled recipe in one hand, a packet full of fresh koeksisters in the other and two newly-adopted ouma’s who insist I come back to visit soon.
Cynthia’s Koeksisters
Recipe by Cynthia du Plessis
Note: While 165ml baking powder is a lot, Cynthia assured me it’s to keep the koeksisters crunchy in the syrup. Who am I to question the koeksister queen?! This recipe makes a large amount of koeksisters, so it’s safest to halve this recipe.
Makes 4 dozen
1250g cake flour
½ tbsp salt
165ml baking powder
1 ¼ cups milk
1 ½ cups water
5 large eggs
62g butter or margarine, softened
oil, for deep-frying
Syrup
12 cups sugar
6 cups water
2/3 cups lemon juice
1 ½ tbsp cream of tartar
1 tsp caramel essence (optional)
Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Whisk the milk, water and eggs together and add to the dry ingredients. Mix to form a soft dough then knead thoroughly for 10 minutes, adding a little butter or margarine in every now and then.
Cover the dough with clingwrap and place in the fridge overnight. Make the syrup by combining the sugar, water, juice, cream of tartar and caramel essence in a large pot and stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Boil the syrup for 10 minutes then allow to cool to room temperature. Break off a fist-sized chunk of the dough and roll out into a long sausage on a lightly oil-greased surface, then using a rolling pin, roll out to about 10cm wide. Cut into 1cm strips.
Take each strip then roll into a sausage, twist the ends around each other to form a koeksister shape and pinch the ends closed. Heat the oil to 180C then deep-fry the koeksisters, a few at a time, turning often to brown on all sides, until golden and cooked through.
Drain from the oil and immediately plunge into the room-temperature syrup, making sure to keep the koeksisters submerged so they soak up the syrup.  Drain the koeksisters from the syrup and allow to cool. To keep your koeksisters crispy, store them in the freezer. Remove them from the freezer 15 minutes before you want to serve them. Enjoy with a lekker koppie rooibos tee!
WATCH MY ADVENTURE HERE AND SEE HOW CYNTHIA MAKES HER KOEKSISTERS:
Can you cut and plait the dough then leave it over night or does it have to be unplaitted in a big ball?
Hi Karen, I haven’t tried that but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I would maybe rest the dough for 30 minutes before you plait it though, just to make sure any gluten you’ve created has the chance to relax and it doesn’t shrink back when you try roll it. Let me know how it comes out! 🙂
Good morning I would like to make these for my dad as he lived in South Africa when he was younger and said they were his favourite thing to eat there. I wondered what is the best oil to use when cooking them please. Thank you Hannah
Hi Hannah! You can use any flavourless oil – here in South Africa, we mostly use canola, sunflower or vegetable oil for frying so if you can find those, you’ll get the flavour spot-on! Good luck with the baking and let me know how they turn out! x
Hi can you plunge the hot koeksister into Ice cold syrup too? What difference will it make?
Must the dough rest overnight? Or can it rest for 2 hours too?
In this recipe, is the outerside of the koeksister crunchy and the inside syrupy?
Hi can you plunge the hot koeksister into Ice cold syrup too? What difference will it make?
Must the dough rest overnight? Or can it rest for 2 hours too?
In this recipe, is the outerside of the koeksister crunchy and the inside syrupy?
My koeksisters always come out dry and full with no shine one bv them!
Hi Ansie, yes you can plunge them into cold syrup if you’d prefer – I have tried both ways and can’t say I can tell the difference, but then again I don’t argue with the koeksister queen of Ladismith 😉 2 hours resting time should be more than sufficient and yes, these koeksisters are crunchy on the outside and lovely and syrupy on the inside. This really is the best recipe I’ve come across! Good luck – let me know how they turn out!
What is the name of the plunger that Cynthia uses to keep the koeksisters in the syrup. I have never seen this.
Carmen, I am pretty sure that is homemade and I want one! It will make my life SO much easier
Does the extra backing powder effect the taste or leave that after taste in your mouth?
Hi Heather, no you don’t taste the baking powder at all – these are honestly the best koeksisters I have ever had! Hope you’ll give them a try 🙂 x
I make these Koeksisters all the time and they are amazing
Thanks so much Heather! So glad you love the recipe as much as I do! x
I followed your recipe exactly as said,my koeksister are super dry. They are really terrible. I am so dissapointed. Can I resoak them?
Hi Kayleen – oh dear so sorry to hear that! I’ve had quite a few people make this recipe and say it definitely is the best so let’s try figure out what went wrong 🙂 Did you completely submerge the koeksisters in the sugar syrup immediately after frying? They need to be hot so they suck up the syrup. Let me know and I’ll try my best to figure out what went wrong!
Just made them and they are delicious thank you for sharing xo
Ah so glad you enjoyed them as much as I do! x
Followed to the tee but the dough looks more like a cake mix than a dough. Runny and sticky
Hi Jaco, so sorry to hear that! Maybe check the amount of liquid you added? 2 and 3/4 cups of liquid, plus 5 eggs to 1.25kg of flour should definitely not result in a runny, sticky dough.
Hi Katelyn, I’d like to know approximately how long to keep the koeksisters submerged in the syrup? So looking forward to trying your recipe! On the 21st June, 1 of my co-workers is retiring and we’re all bringing a plate to contribute to her farewell tea. I’m in a little wheatbelt town in Western Australia and I can guarantee none of my Aussie co-workers have tried anything as decadent as a koeksister!
Hi Colleen, simply submerge them in the syrup for 1-2 minutes. Just long enough for them to absorb but not long enough that they are soggy. Happy Baking!
I have tried this recipe too and not perfect, probably because i need practice, but certanaly the best result i ever got from any recipe.
thnkxfor sharing.
My ouma was the koeksister champion of Potchefstroom and she taught me how to make them.
Her recipe is quite similar to the one that you have here with two exceptions…
1. Her syrup had 7 cloves in which were removed after boiling.
2. She had about a third less baking powder
She always submerged the hot koeksisters into room temperature syrup for 3 minutes exactly. I still have her grid that she put on top of the koeksisters to submerge them completely.
She did them in batches of 12 at a time.
.
Ah thanks for sharing Errol! I also queried the amount of baking powder but according to Tannie Errieda, that’s what keeps the crispy – I don’t argue with a tannie 😉 x
@Colleen: how did your koeksisters turn out?
Hey! Thank you for the recipe. Re the syrup: There is quite a lot of lemon juice in there. Is that correct?
hi there, my koeksisters looked beautifull and well soaked,but some have harden pieces inside, what can it be
Hi Ilse, after you kneaded the dough, did you by any chance rub the dry dough stuck to your hands back into the dough? This can cause hard lumps in bread, rolls or koeksisters. It could also be that the flour was not mixed in completely. I’m glad they looked beautiful, though! Tannie Cynthia has been making these koekisters for years so it does take a bit of practice – I hope you’ll try again! Kx
Hi,
Experience has taught me that lumps form if your oil is too hot and the outside is brown but the inside is raw. When you dunk it it creates chaos inside. Try to cook for longer in cooler oil
Wow! At long last I have made some incredible koeksisters!!! YAY!! The problem was the bar was set extremely high as I once lived in a dorpie and the tannie there made koeksisters that people would travel miles for. For over 25 years I have eaten many koeksisters, always searching for the holy grail – but they never were as delicious as hers. I also tried a few recipes over the years, which were all disappointing flops. So I set to work last night and today to my surprise and my husbands delight (he ate FIVE in a row!) at last – the perfect koeksisters. All the more rare and precious as we live in the UK and not a koeksister is to be seen here that one would want to buy. If there are some I have not found them!
Thank you and Tannie Cynthia a thousand times over for a truly superb recipe. And no – if anyone is wondering they really really do not have any bicarb taste or aftertaste. It was also a joy not to have to do the whole ice cold syrup malarky…mine are crispy outside, soft and syrupy inside. Sublime!
Ah Jane! You made my day with this comment! I am so glad that they came out as perfectly as mine did. Tannie Cynthia would be proud – in fact, I’m going to send her a message now with your lovely words. I’m sure she will be thrilled!
Katelyn, thank you for sending Tannie Cynthia my words – it means a lot. Quite aside from the sheer deliciousness of the koeksusters, I’m bowled over by her generosity in sharing this wonderful recipe. As you said in your delightful story of your quest for the perfect koeksister – prying a koeksuster recipe worth it’s salt from it’s often secretive guardian is no easy feat! I totally admire your tenacity! x
Tannie Cynthia should know that in sharing she has spread a lot of gratitude and joy into the world, bless her heart!
PS. We had koeksisters for breakfast and lunch and today they are *even better* than freshly made – how is that even possible!!! Even more miraculous is that neither of us are as sick as dogs!
Hi Katelyn, I get obsessed trying make perfect baked goods. My obsession is to make a crispy koeksister with loads of syrup inside so far I have failed. I will soon try this recipe. Have you ever halved it? Or made the whole batch and froze half the dough to use later? Difficult to half 5 eggs. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Will let you know once I have made it. Next weekend I will try Aunty C’s recipe. Take care. Ps, don’t you have a coney roll recipe please. This is also am obsession to make, the ones Spar make is excellent but we live in Ireland now and the rolls are not nice. Xx
Hi Katelyn, me again. Have mixed my dough and it is now in Fridge to be baked tomorrow. I have done my syrup, I then watched the video and saw golden syrup is being added to sugar and water. The recipe does not specify how much golden syrup. Can you please let me know. Thank you xx
Hi Leonie. Did you ever get a reply on the golden syrup volume?
Hi Garth, I see my original response to Leonie disappeared. The recipe Cynthia gave me (without golden syrup) has been thoroughly tested and definitely works. I can only think that on the day we shot the recipe she added it in as an extra. It won’t change the final result much, except maybe add a bit of flavour but it won’t be very noticeable as golden syrup is more sweet than anything else. Hope that helps!
Lyk baaielekker
Hi Katelyn, should the oil be replaced after one batch or how many can I do with the same oil?
Annamart.
Hi Katelyn, I’ve made this recipe quite a few times and it is brilliant! One question I have is I am making them for a bake sale and would like to make them in advance. Can you freeze them, sell them (they would probably be room temp by then), refereeze and take them out 15 minutes before eating? Thank you so much. Lara
Hi Lara – that’s so good to hear! I think that shouldn’t be a problem at all – the freezing simply stops them from drying out so as long as they’re not at room temperature for more than a day, they should still be juicy. Good luck!
Hi Lara, we used to buy tannie Cynthia’s koeksisters to serve with coffee at our restaurant and they freeze perfectly. We did not even take them out 15 kins before. Just took one out as it was ordered and it was perfect.
Just made another batch of koeksusters that is a total failure So now after many attempts of other recipes I will make this recipe. I am sure that after watching the video and seeing how Aunty C makes her wonderful koeksusters I know I am on the road to success. Thank you for sharing
Hi Katelyn. Thanks a million for sharing aunty Cynthia’s recipe, which I have only now discovered.
I am concerned about the baking powder- it seems like an aweful lot of b.p. – is 165 ml correct? Secondly, how thick should the dough be rolled out to have a nice koeksister? I desperately awaiting your reply. Thank you
Hi Amanda! Don’t be alarmed, the amount of baking powder is correct – it is the secret to the koeksisters staying really crunchy when they’ve been dipped in the syrup. I make this recipe often and never taste the baking powder in the final result – most of it burns off in the deep fryer anyway. 5mm thick would be perfect – the thickness of tart crust dough. Hope that helps!
Hallo Katelyn. Thank you for your quick response. Is the syrup left outside the fridge to cool, or refrigeratored overnight and then taken out to reach room temperature before using?
Hi Amanda, it is not necessary to refrigerate the syrup. You can simply leave it at room temperature to cool and use it the next day. 🙂
Evening Kate. Could I ask 2 more questions please?
Why do I have hard lumps in the koeksisters, and why do some of them ‘burst’ when submerged in the syrup
(Dit lyk of koeksister stukkend gedruk word). Thank you and take care.
Hallo. Does anybody reading this blog maybe have the answers to my last entry about the lumps and ‘burst’ koeksisters? Just wondering !!! Thanks to all. Regards
Hi Amanda – are you rubbing the dough from your hands after kneading into the dough? These can sometimes form little hard bits in the dough. Rather discard these small bits. Regarding the ‘bursting’, this could be because your oil is too hot so the outside cooks before the inside has a chance to expand and therefore bursts them. Hope that helps!
Hi Kate. Thanks a million for your reply. You are a star!! Your explanations make a lot of sense. I have been searching for these answers for a long time. Regards and take care xx
Morning Kate. Hopefully last question to you. Why do my koeksisters shrink once it has been plaited? Is it maybe because I don’t kneed the dough long enough?
Hi Amanda, it sounds like you may be overworking the dough, that causes the gluten to develop again which shrinks your koeksisters. When you’re shaping the koeksisters, try not to knead the dough, simply break off pieces roll and fold. Resting them for 5-10 minutes after shaping and before frying might also help!
Must you freeze the syrup.
As mentioned in the recipe, the syrup is room temperature. Tannie Cynthia says that’s the best way!
Thank you Kate. Much appreciated.
Is the dough meant to be super soft after kneading ?
Dear Kate,
Thank you for sharing Cynthia du Plessis’s koeksister-resep! My husband and I made it and it’s delicious. Best koeksisters we have ever had.
Joey Oosthuysen
Hi Kate!
I realize it’s been a while since this was shared but I am battling. Do you remember if Cynthia used a mixer to mix the dough? I’m asking because I mixed the dough by hand, and after 10 minutes it still wasn’t dough…it was like cake batter. I cannot get it to the point of it being dough that you need.
Can you help?
Hi Betty! She mixed it by hand and it should definitely form a dough. I think perhaps add less of the liquid mixture. Depending on the flour you use, yours could have more moisture in it so you may need less. I would add the wet ingredients gradually until a soft dough forms. Hope that helps!
These are incredible! I have been on the search for the best and now I have it. Great that the syrup doesn’t have to be cold. I would recommend to watch the video, submerging and keeping them down into the syrup in the key for me.
Anyway turned out a treat! Hooray
Thank you so much! I’m thrilled you love it as much as I do! And thank you for taking the time to leave such a lovely comment 🙂
Hi
I’m going to try this recipe tomorrow. Desperate times calls for desperate measures, we are in the US and the closest “koeksister tannie” is 3 hours away and expensive ($1 per koeksister), so now I have to learn how to bake them myself. Wish me luck and then some self control to not eat the whole batch in one day!
Fantastic, I’m thrilled you’re giving them a go, Madeleine! This recipe makes quite a lot so feel free to half it. x
Hi Leonie, I know this is SUPER late, just came accross this recipe myself, and I did half it, I used 2 large eggs, first time came out well enough. The full recipe is too much for only me and my husband. I have had great success by halving it. Instructions followed to the point and I am not disappointed with the results, I think depending on the size of the eggs you can use 2-3. I did have some left over dough and will be using the same guidelines I do for home made pizza dough by freezing for up to one month.
Thanks Elisma! Glad you enjoyed them. It is quite a large recipe but the finished koeksisters freeze so well and I feel like they’re quite a lot of effort so best to get a large batch out! And as you rightly said, the raw dough freezes well too.
I have to agree with you on the large batch, especially since I have a sweet tooth and they really are the best of the best I have tried making myself, thanks so much for sharing what you have learnt. The full recipe is much easier to use and less confusing, and I believe they will also mix better in the long run. Will make them again for sure!
Absolutely perfect. Love this recipe. Koeksisters have perfect texture and taste. Thank you for this recipe. I found them tastiest the day after and kept in the fridge overnight.
Thank you so much for taking the time to give such lovely feedback, Shana! Really appreciate it! Kate x
Please add me to your mailing list as I would love to have more recipes
Will do! You’ll get an email saying you’ve subscribed, you just need to approve it 🙂
Hi Kate
We moved to the UK from South Africa 2 1/2 years ago. I have been telling my neighbours about Melktert and Koeksisters and introduced them to a proper Braai with Boerewors and Biltong. Today I made a batch of koeksisters – your recipe or rather ” the tannie’s” recipe and have to say it is the best I’ve ever had. The crisp outside and lush, sugary gooyiness on the inside is delightful. I am sending a batch over to all my neighbours and can’t wait to get the nod of approval for most probably the best treat on earth! Lockdown brought my creative inner child out and I also started blogging ….mostly about travel, and will include your link in one of my future posts if I may. I include a small snippet of SA life in most of my posts. Your recipe certainly created a lot of excitement at home today! My boys now have sticky Xbox controllers! X
Hi Teresa! Thank you SO much for the wonderful feedback – I am so glad the recipe brought joy into your household! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment too – I cannot wait to read your blog. x
Very nice looking koeksisters
I’ve tried this recipe twice now, half and full measures and the dough is soooo sticky, is this right? I’ve followed the ingredients and directions to a T and it still comes out so sticky even after 15 mins of kneading!
Shanon, I left the 1/2 cup water out. That made all the difference.
Hi Kate,
If you still have contact with tannie Cynthia, PLEASE, can you tell her she changed my life?
I was down and out with no income and with this recipe, I can tell you in all honesty that I have so many repeat customers I struggle to keep up.
It is divine and once I adjusted the moisture to work for the flour I use I’ve never had any mishaps.
Thank you as well for publishing the recipe.