Nipa Syrup Kaya Cookie Recipe

NIPA SYRUP KAYA COOKIE
Yield: 10 cookies

A brown butter cookie built around Arunipa Gula Apong Syrup. Half the brown sugar is replaced with the syrup, which gives the dough a deeper colour and a rounded caramel flavour, while a touch of soy sauce and pandan keeps it from tipping into plain sweetness. Each cookie is wrapped around a frozen centre of gula apong kaya, made from just syrup, coconut milk and egg yolk, so it bakes into a soft, molten middle. Crisp at the edge, chewy through the centre, finished with a pinch of sea salt. Bake straight from frozen whenever you want one warm.

Ingredients

Dough

• Unsalted butter, 130g

• Light brown sugar, 100g

• Arunipa Gula Apong Syrup, 140g

• Light soy sauce, 25g

• Pandan extract (optional), 3g

• Horlicks (optional), 10g

• Bicarbonate of soda, 3.5g (1 tsp)

• Whole egg, 50g (1 egg)

• All-purpose flour, 240g

Filling and finish

• Arunipa Gula Apong Kaya, about 150g plus extra for topping

• Sea salt flakes (optional), a pinch

Step 1: Prepare Kaya Insert
Spoon the kaya into 15g dollops on a parchment-lined tray. Freeze for 2 to 3 hours, until solid.

Step 2: Brown the Butter
Heat the butter in a pan over medium heat until golden brown and nutty, 5 to 7 minutes, allowing the water to evaporate. You will have about 105 to 108g of brown butter. Pour into a bowl and let it cool completely.

Step 3: Mix the Base
Add the brown sugar, Arunipa Gula Apong Syrup, soy sauce, pandan extract, Horlicks and bicarbonate of soda to the cooled brown butter. Mix well until the sugar is evenly combined with the syrup.

Step 4: Add Egg
Add the egg and whisk until smooth.

Step 5: Fold in Flour
Sift the flour, then fold it gently into the mixture until a dough forms. It will be softer and stickier than the original version.

Step 6: Rest
Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour, until firm enough to handle.

Step 7: Shape into Discs
Divide the dough into 60g portions. Lightly oil your hands if the dough sticks. Flatten each portion into a disc, place a frozen kaya dollop in the centre, and fold the dough up and over the top to seal.

Step 8: Chill Overnight
Chill the shaped dough overnight in the fridge or freezer. This step is required with the syrup, as it firms the dough and limits spread.

Step 9: Bake
Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan). Place the cookies on a lined baking tray, spaced well apart. Smear a small amount of kaya on top of each one for appearance.

• From frozen: 18 to 20 minutes

• From chilled: 15 to 18 minutes

The dough is darker than the original, so judge doneness by set edges rather than colour.

Step 10: Cool
Cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes if desired.

Optional Toppings
Sprinkle the dough with coconut flakes before baking, or fold chocolate chips into the dough at Step 5.

Storage Guide
Unbaked dough

• Freezer: up to 1 month (bake from frozen)

• Fridge: up to 5 days (bake from chilled)

Baked cookies

• Room temperature, airtight container: up to 5 days

• Fridge: up to 10 days

• Freezer, airtight container or bag: up to 1 month