Chin chin a.k.a African cookies

Some people call it ‘chim chim’ (y'all know yourselves 😏), some call it ‘chin chin’ and one of my favorite bloggers, Nigerian lazy chef calls it African cookies! I think that is the best way to explain chin chin to someone that’s not Nigerian or from West Africa. How do you describe the taste of chin chin? It is crunchy and sweet and most people like it extra crrrunchy! That is chin chin for my mum. If it doesn’t get her jaw all worked up 😬 and if it’s not dry and crunchy then she’s not interested.

Personally I don’t like jaw breaking chin chin, however when I make it, most of the people that are going to eat it want the extra crunchy one so I have no choice. I like to eat mine when it’s still warm because it’s a bit softer! In fact my favorite companion for chin chin is yoghurt! They go so well and most especially if it’s Greek yoghurt. Just throw a hand full of chin chin into your bowl of yoghurt and with a spoon scoop it into your mouth and enjoy the goodness of the Lord! 🤤😋 Can I get an amen somebody!

I have noticed chin chin is also eaten a lot during Christmas time. Honestly, I don’t even know how this became a tradition! Nevertheless, I think it is as a result of the fact that a lot of guests come visiting during Christmas and New year so it is a nice snack to give your guests to keep their mouths busy. Let me know in the comments below if you always have buckets of chin chin in your house hold during the festive period.

The addition of some warm spices like nutmeg or cinnamon will really elevate the flavor of your chin chin. One blog post I read suggested orange zest! I can't wait to try it, it’d be amazing!

Making chin chin is definitely a labor of love and my husband discovered that when he joined me in the kitchen to learn how to make chin chin. What a day!! 😒 The first question he asked was, 'Is there no chair here?' He brought a chair in after like 15 minutes. 😂 Lesson learnt: Next time start with something easy like Indomie.😉

Anyway, my chin chin recipe is pretty easy and straight forward. I first learnt how to make it from my Aunty Omo. However I have tweaked it a bit

---

Ingredients

9 cups of flour (This is 1 mudu of flour in the market in Nigeria)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup powdered milk

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Freshly grated nutmeg or cinnamon or both

250g margarine (This is basically 1 sachet of Simas margarine)

2 cups water

Vegetable oil to fry

**NOTE: Different kinds of flour absorb water differently so start off with 1 1/2 cups of water first. Then go in with the remaining half. If it's still too difficult to work with, you can add a tablespoon of water till you get to a good non sticky ball. 2 cups and 2 tablespoons of water worked for me!

---

Directions

1. Put all your dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together. (Flour, sugar, milk, salt, baking powder, nutmeg or cinnamon)

NOTE: Always sieve your flour!

2. Add the margarine to your dry ingredients and use your fingers to rub it in the flour till it looks crumbly.

3. Add the cold water, mix it together till it forms a ball without sticking to your fingers and bowl.

4. Leave to rest for 20 minutes

5. Time to roll! Divide into smaller balls. Dust your surface with flour as you roll the dough flat. Anytime the dough sticks to your rolling pin or surface, just dust with some flour.

6. Use a pizza cutter to cut it up in squares or your desired shape. You can also use a knife.

7. Fry it in hot oil and keep an eye on it cause it goes from light brown to dark brown so easy and i love it golden brown! Enjoy!