How To Make South African Romany Creams?

Romany Creams are a delicious crunchy coconutty chocolate-cream-filled biscuit that is easy to make. Serve this South African delight with some hot coffee or cocoa and you’ll be in heaven!

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A classic South African favorite, Romany creams once used to be made in the UK. Called Gypsy Creams, they were made with a cream filling that was white instead of brown. Although these Gypsy creams were quite famous in the UK in the late ’60s and early ’70s, they stopped being produced in the mid-2000s, but their South African counterpart is still widely produced even today.

The biscuit king, John Pyott was a Scotsman who moved to South Africa in the late 1800s and started a biscuit company called Pyotts Biscuits.

John Pyott died in 1947 and his son Robert took over the company till he passed in 1964. When he passed, it was veteran war hero Ian Pyott’s turn to take over the company.

Ian had fought in the First World War on the British side and had shot down a German zeppelin airship. This was a big thing in World War I and there was even a special commemorative coin made to honor Captain Ian Pyott.

Anyways, when Ian took over Pyott’s, he had a good relation with Cadbury’s and many say that this is why he changed the white filling to the chocolate cream. The name Romany Creams was an acknowledgment to the Gypsy cream bisuits and the Romany traveling community.

Romany Creams have remained a popular biscuit in South Africa. These oat and coconut biscuits are deliciously crunchy and chocolatey, sandwiched together with a creamy chocolate filling. You might really find this to be the best Romany cream biscuits recipe. What more could you ask for?

So why not try making these delicious South African biscuits in the comfort of your home. It’s pretty easy and the results are just yummylicious!

What Ingredients do you need to make Romany Creams At home?

All you need to make romany cream cookies is some margarine, plain flour, oats, sugar, desiccated coconut, baking soda, eggs, cocoa powder, boiling water, golden syrup, and chocolate for the cream filling. I use Stork margarine, but you can use Flora or any other one you prefer.

How to Make Romany Creams

This easy Romany creams recipe is not very complicated. Mix all the dry ingredients, except the baking soda, together in a large bowl. So, that’s the oats and desiccated coconut, plain flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder and mix well. And finally, massage the margarine into the dry mixture using your fingers.

Mix the baking powder, boiling water, and golden syrup together in a small bowl and add to the flour mixture. Lastly, break the eggs in the same bowl then add these eggs to the flour mixture. This will help to bind the Romany cream cookies.

Using a teaspoon, spoon the mixture onto a greased baking tray (I found it easier to roll it into a small ball).

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 10-12 minutes. Then allow the baked cookies to cool on a cooling rack.

While the cookies are cooling down on the racks, break small pieces of the chocolate slab and melt this on a flame in a double-boiler or a microwave.

Once the cookies cool, layer the melted chocolate on one cookie. And stick another cookie to it using the chocolate in between them. And that’s it, the Romany cream cookies are ready to serve with some hot chocolate, coffee or milk!

Cooking Tips And Tricks

• Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl first and then add the margarine and mix with your hands.
• You can replace the margarine with butter for a richer taste.
• If you don’t want to use your hands to roll the dough into small balls, use a spoon to shape the cookies.
• You can use cacao powder or carob powder instead of the cocoa powder.
• Break the chocolate slab into smaller pieces before you melt the chocolate.
• If you like this recipe, you might also like the South African melktert and potjiekos.

Questions we get asked about Romany Creams

What Is The Difference Between Romany Creams And Gypsy Creams?

The difference between Romany creams and gypsy creams is the cream filling which is white for gypsy creams and chocolate in Romany creams. Plus gypsy creams were a British invention while Romany creams are its South African derivative.

Where Are Romany Creams From?

Romany Creams are a popular biscuit from South Africa created by the Pyotts company.

Why Are They Called Romany Creams?

They are called Romany creams to give credit to the UK biscuits called gypsy creams and also to the Romany traveling community.

Can I Replace The Margarine With Butter?

Yes, you can replace the margarine with butter if you wish. The butter gives the Romany cream cookies a richer taste.

How Long Will Romany Cream Cookies Last?

Romany Cream cookies will last for a month at room temperature when stored in an air-tight container.

What Other Biscuits Are Similar To Romany Creams?

There are a few biscuit recipes that are similar to Romany creams. You have the British gypsy creams of course. Then there are the Australian Kingston Biscuits made by Arnott’s and the chocolate cream Anzac biscuits. Some versions of oatmeal cookie sandwiches are similar too!

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