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Learn how to make these delicious sweet potato cookies - a recipe straight from Zimbabwe!

This recipe is a version of the mbatata cookie: a traditional treat made of sweet potatoes in Zimbabwe. Using this staple in baking produces a soft, cake-like cookie.

Zimbabwe sweet potato cookies

Zimbabwean sweet potato cookies.

Ingredients

For the cookies

  • 150g butter

  • 50g sugar (fairtrade)

  • Zest of one lemon (organic)

  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg

  • 4 tablespoons of honey

  • 1 egg

  • 250g grated raw sweet potato (roughly two medium potatoes)

  • 400g self-raising flour

  • 1 ½ tsps baking powder

  • ½ tsp baking soda

  • Pinch of salt

For the lemon glaze

  • 5g butter

  • 1 – 2 tsps lemon juice

  • 200g icing sugar

  • 1 tbsp water

Method

  1. Cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl. Blend in the lemon zest, nutmeg, honey and egg. Fold in the sweet potato.

  2. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

  3. Add it to the first mixture and blend well.

  4. Arrange the cookie dough by rounded tablespoons on an ungreased cookie sheet.

  5. Bake at 175 degrees for 7 minutes.

  6. To make the glaze, use a wooden spoon to combine all the ingredients in a glass container until smooth.

  7. Add more water by the drop until the glaze is easy to spread on the cooled cookies.