Did you know that our favourite West African snack is present in other cultures in the world? They may do it slightly differently but nonetheless the core of the recipe is the same as ours. Chin chin is also known as Merveilles means wonder in french. I do not blame the french for thinking these little treats are wondrous delights.
I surveyed our Facebook and Instagram followers to find out which recipe to put first, the hard or soft chin chin version and majority preferred the soft chin chin recipe. For those that want the hard chin chin recipe, I would upload a second one at some point this month. Pardon me as school is stressing me lol.
Remember another option for chin chin is to bake it, if you want to avoid the extra oil that comes with frying. I also spiced up this recipe by using coconut milk in place of regular milk. You can use regular milk if you please. If you have been following my blog for a while, you will understand i absolutely love coconut milk. Before I get into poetry about my love for coconut milk, please find the soft chin chin recipe below.
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
1/3 cup of butter/margarine
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 cup of coconut milk
1 egg
1/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Pinch of Salt
Oil for deep frying
Method
In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients together.
Work your butter or margarine into the flour till it is well combined.
In a separate small bowl, Whisk your egg till it is frothy, add your vanilla and coconut milk.
In the bowl with the dry ingredients, make a well in the centre and slowly add your egg mix, combining the flour with the mix as you add it.
Mix the entire dough till its no longer sticky and everything is combined then cover the dough in a plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.
Sprinkle some flour on the surface you would use to roll out the chin chin dough.
Cut a small chunk of the dough and with a rolling pin, roll out the chin chin dough. If you want larger chin chin chunks, do not roll it out so thin, If you want regular sized chin chin, roll it out so its relatively thin but not all the way.
With a knife, cut the chin chin to your desired shape and set aside.
In a pan of hot oil for deep frying, place your chin chin dough and allow to fry till its golden brown. Place in a paper towel to allow the excess oil to be absorbed and for it to cool down.
If using an oven, pre-heat the oven to 370 F and place the chin chin dough on a lined foil container and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until browned.
If you want it sweeter, sprinkle some powdered sugar on the top or add more sugar to the initial recipe.
P.s: This is more of an in between recipe, its not completely soft. If you want it extra soft, you can use 2cups of flour.
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