Mbatata or the Sweetpotato Cookie, a classic from the Malawian Cuisine

The first time I tried this recipe about 8 years ago and made these cookies for a university project that was supposed to display the economic interconnectedness of African countries and the world way before Globalization was even a concept. As a tool to bribe our audience during our presentation, these sweet potato cookies were very successful :)

The sweetpoatato was one of many ingredients like the banana that were imported to East Africa in the early 16 hundreds via trading routes stretching all the way to Indonesia. These routes ensured that West African Palm Kernel found its way to Indonesia, the currently biggest Palm oil producer in world.

As I explore more and more recipes that are traditionally African, I discover a heritage and history that is truly intriguing. These sweet potato cookies are tried and tested, I wanted them to be perfect as they are one of my favorite recipes. Tested at least a dozen times, these sweet potato cookies are perfect and can be made crunchy or thick achieving a real difference in taste and consistency.

This year I vowed to try different recipes away from the European classics to spice up our Christmas cookie selection. With Christmas fast approaching these Sweet potato cookies are a lovely addition to your Christmas bakery.

Author: A Sweet Point of View

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 75 mins

Serves: 20

Dietary Information: Vegan Friendly Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

Instructions
Cook the Sweet Potatoes until soft. Then mash them until they resemble mashed potatoes. Then put the raisins in a bowl and cover with orange juice and let the rosins soak the juice until they are soft which takes 4 hours or over night.
Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, mix mashed sweet potatoes and melted butter. Add flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix well until a soft dough forms. Add the raisins and mix until incorporated.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead it a few times until the dough is solid enough to roll out. Roll the dough 1/2 inch thick and cut the cookies with a cookie cutter (heart shaped is traditional).
Place the cut cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Re-roll and cut any remaining dough, until all the dough has been used.
Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, until firm and slightly springy when touched. Remove the cookies from oven and let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet to finish cooling on a wire rack.

For the Shells

- ½ Cup mashed sweet potatoes * (285g)
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted (86g)
- 1 c unbleached all purpose flour (245g)
- ¼ c brown sugar, loosely packed (90g)
- 2 tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ c raisins (80g)