Disclaimer: The #MissionSamsung blog challenge, in conjunction with Webfluential, spans over eight months, include six challenges involving 60 bloggers who will participate in 18 missions with 13 prizes, all competing for one grand prize. In this round, the ten finalists each received a Samsung Smart Microwave Oven to complete challenges over the next three weeks. The winner will get to keep this appliance.

Late on Friday afternoon the second mission landed in our inboxes, and this time we could choose our mission: Healthy Fried Food & Easy to Clean or Baking Bliss (or both if you are that way inclined, which I was for a while, but things kind of spiralled out of my control – as they tend to do).

So on Saturday, after a very early start to the day, I picked up a few essentials and got stuck into baking my favourite cookies: Outydse soetkoekies (sugar cookies with cinnamon/nutmeg). The last time I baked these, was towards the end of 2012 after I was retrenched, and I needed to do something to keep from day drinking. I used to bake these regularly for Christmas, but it is a time-consuming, hot, and tiring way of spending a day.

I mixed the dough, let it rest, rolled it out, whipped out my cookie cutters, and turned up my music. It is so easy to bake with the Samsung Smart Microwave Oven; you simply place your dough on the crusty plate and set on the low rack. Select the Smart Cook button and press it twice. Select the Auto Cook function and turn the Dial Knob until you get 2-11 Cookies.

What’s even better, is that if you step out to, let’s say, take some of your freshly baked cookies to your landlady, there’s no risk of burning the batch in the oven, or torching your home, since the oven switches off once it’s done with its task.

I shared these cookies with my landlady, neighbour, Jade (who gave me two cupcakes in exchange), everyone at the office, and a few others. They were hugely popular (and very delicious, even if I say so myself) – see how the guys stockpiled!

Want to bake your own? This is what you’ll need:

250 g butter at room temperature
750 ml sugar
5 large eggs
6 cups cake flour
30 ml baking powder
10 ml ground cinnamon/nutmeg
2 ml salt

Cream the butter, sugar and eggs together
Sift the dry ingredients together, then add the egg mixture until a soft dough is formed.
Cover and let dough rest for 30 minutes.
Roll out thinly on a surface dusted with flour. cut out forms and space evenly on baking tray
Beat an egg and 25 ml of milk together. Paint the biscuits lightly with this mixture and sprinkle some sugar over the top.
Bake and cool down before storing in an airtight container.