Greek Honey-Soaked Orange and Olive Oil Spice Cookies with Walnuts

What you need

• 250 g (1 1/4 cups) granulated sugar, 100 g for the dough, 150 g for the syrup
• 1 orange, zest only; its juice can go toward the orange juice
• 150 ml (2/3 cup) orange juice, freshly squeezed
• 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) mild olive oil
• 40 ml (3 tbsp) brandy
• 500 g (4 cups) all-purpose flour, plus a little more if needed
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 0.5 tsp for the dough, 1 tsp for sprinkling
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 200 g (2/3 cup) honey
• 250 ml (1 cup) water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 strip of lemon peel
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 80 g (3/4 cup) walnuts, finely chopped

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Start with the honey soak: put the honey, 150 g (3/4 cup) of the sugar, the water, cinnamon stick, whole cloves and lemon peel in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 min until slightly thickened.

2. 2

   Lift out the cinnamon stick, cloves and lemon peel and add the lemon juice. Set the honey mixture aside to cool to room temperature while the cookies are made and baked.

3. 3

   Heat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F). Line two baking sheets with parchment.

4. 4

   Zest the orange into a large bowl, add the remaining 100 g (1/2 cup) sugar and rub them together with your fingers.

5. 5

   Add the olive oil and beat until combined, then beat in the orange juice and brandy.

6. 6

   Whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon and the ground cloves.

7. 7

   Add the flour mixture to the bowl in 3 or 4 batches, mixing gently, until a soft dough forms that holds its shape. Stop before it turns stiff and dry; the dough should stay a little oily.

8. 8

   Pinch off walnut-sized pieces and shape them into 5 cm (2 in) ovals. Set them on the sheets 2 cm (1 in) apart and press the tops lightly with a fork.

9. 9

   Bake until lightly golden, 25-30 min.

10. 10

    Take the cookies from the oven and slide them, still hot, into the cooled honey mixture, 5 or 6 at a time. Let them soak for 30 seconds, turning once.

11. 11

    Lift the cookies out with a slotted spoon and set them on a rack or platter.

12. 12

    Sprinkle each cookie with the walnuts and a pinch of the remaining cinnamon. Let them stand for 15 min so the honey sinks in before serving.

Imported from scrummylane.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.