Sweet, juicy, and golden – it is easy to see why this is undoubtedly summer’s favourite fruit.
South Africa grows 15 mango varieties, mostly in the subtropical regions of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. And as a nation, we love them!
The South African harvesting season is from December to the end of April, so you will be able to find your favourite mangoes on supermarket shelves right through the summer months.
So if you love mangoes as we do, then you will definitely enjoy what comes next. The South African Mango Growers’ Association has shared a delicious recipe that you can whip up this Christmas. They reveal that the best thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t take too long to prepare, and you can store the biscuits for a few days to be ready and wait for whenever you or the kids get the urge. Just make sure you leave a couple for Christmas Eve!
Cookies topped with mango-mascarpone
Makes approximately 18 biscuits
Ingredients
100g Jungle Oats
125g almond flour
50g cake flour
150g castor sugar
Pinch of salt
80ml canola oil
30ml runny honey
15ml vanilla extract
5ml bicarbonate of soda
30ml boiling water
For the topping
80g fresh mango, peeled, pitted, and puréed
125g mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C and line 2 baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, mix the oats, flour, 100g of sugar, and salt.
Place the oil, honey, and vanilla in a saucepan and gently heat through.
Place the bicarbonate of soda and boiling water in a small mixing bowl and stir until combined. Pour into the oil mixture, and gently stir, don’t be alarmed as it will froth up. Pour the mixture over the oat mixture and mix well to combine.
Roll small amounts of the dough into 30g walnut-size balls and place spaced out on the prepared baking trays, use the palm of your hand to slightly flatten. Bake for about 8 – 10 minutes.
Carefully transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack and leave them to cool completely. The biscuits might seem soft but as they cool down, they will harden. At this stage, you can store the biscuits in an airtight container until you are ready to serve them. (May store them for up to a week.)
Once the biscuits are cooled and ready to serve, mix the mango purée, mascarpone, and remaining castor sugar well together and spread over the biscuits with a spoon. (May pre-prepare the mango mascarpone and store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.)
Have you checked out the latest IOL Food & Drinks digital magazine? Read it here.