Santa may have to settle for only milk this Christmas as inflation has hit traditional holiday cookies.
SA ranks 19th on a “Christmas Cookie Price Index” in a survey conducted in 30 countries on the cost of baking a batch of “classic butter cookies”.
Taking into account the price of key ingredients such as butter, milk, eggs, flour, sugar, and baking soda, the study — which ranks countries from least to most expensive — found it costs R99.23 to bake a batch of 100 Christmas cookies in SA.
The cheapest ingredients can be found in Ecuador, where it costs R54.30 to bake a batch. The most expensive country is Sweden, where it costs R199.23.
However, local bakers say it costs far more than R100 to bake the cookies in SA.
R99.23 — what it costs to bake a batch of 100 cookies in SA, according to an international price index
R175 — the current cheapest price for a 2kg box of Bakers Choice Assorted biscuits. The price varies at different retailers
— Counting the cost
Celebrity chef Reuben Riffel told the Sunday Times that while the index is “interesting”, it doesn't include other ingredients that have made Christmas cookies a trend.
“You can see that they looked at basic ingredients. It doesn’t take into account decorations or flavourings such as coconut, vanilla or even almond. I would say it is actually more expensive to make a batch of 100 Christmas cookies in SA.”
Siobhan Roy, owner of Heaven Essence in Durban, said it costs her twice as much to make Christmas cookies.
“I bake with only pure butter, which is one of the most expensive baking ingredients. However, quite a few bakers use margarine, which is cheaper, therefore this would bring the cost price at least 40% down. Flour prices have also increased significantly this year.
“For me, one batch of 48 cookies costs about R115. To make 100 cookies, it costs me about R250.”
Part-time baker Lana Felix of Johannesburg said that excluding the electricity required to bake and run the dehydrator, it costs her about R165 in ingredients for 100 Christmas sugar cookies. “The biggest cost is butter,” she said.
SOETKOEKIES
Sunday Times food columnist Hilary Biller suggests that cost-conscious locals opt for soetkoekies, or spice biscuits, this Christmas, as they are the cheapest to make.
The dough can be cut into any shape or you can roll it into a sausage shape, cover and chill till hard. It will keep well in the fridge for up to two weeks. Then, using a sharp knife, you can cut it into slices and bake.
It’s a really easy recipe and not much can go wrong, so it's a great one to bake with children — and they can use any shapes they like to cut out the biscuits.
The flavour of the biscuits is better enjoyed the next day. Store the biscuits well covered in an airtight container.
INGREDIENTS:
- 250g baking margarine, at room temperature
- 250ml (1 cup) light brown sugar, which gives the biscuits a nice colour and flavour (or use white sugar)
- 2 large eggs
- 900ml (3½ cups) cake wheat flour
- 20ml (4 tsp) mixed spice (you can add another 5-10ml (1-2 tsp) extra mixed spice for a stronger flavour)
- Pinch of salt
METHOD:
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
- Cream the butter and sugar till light in colour — easiest done with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and beat well.
- Sift the flour, spice and salt together and add to the egg mixture to make a stiff dough. If too dry add a little water, a teaspoonful at a time.
- Roll out the dough between two pieces of baking paper — it’s easier if you divide the dough and roll each out separately.
- Cut out the desired shapes and place on a greased or baking paper-lined baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes.
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