Koeksisters
Plaited doughnuts fried until golden and dipped straight into ice-cold syrup, crisp outside and sticky within.
- Time1 hr 30 plus chilling
- LevelHard
- Costabout £0.24 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Make the syrup first. Stir the sugar, water, cream of tartar, ginger and lemon juice in a pan over a low heat until dissolved. Boil for 5 minutes, then cool and chill in the freezer for at least 2 hours until icy cold.
5 min - 2
Mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Rub in the butter until it looks like crumbs.
- 3
Beat the egg with the milk and stir into the flour to form a soft dough. Knead briefly, cover and rest for 30 minutes.
30 min - 4
Roll the dough out to 1 cm thick and cut into strips about 3 cm wide and 8 cm long. Plait three strips together and pinch the ends.
- 5
Heat the oil in a deep pan to 170 C, or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Fry the plaits in batches for 2 minutes on each side until deep golden.
4 min - 6
Lift out with a slotted spoon and drop straight into the cold syrup for 1 minute, turning once. Drain on a wire rack and serve once set.
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.