CHRISTMAS CINNAMON COOKIES IN SYRUP-RECIPE FROM AEGEAN MACEDONIA

The first time I tried these cookies was last year in Greece, in Lerin, at my Macedonian grandmother for Kolede, they celebrate it on December 23rd. It was a love at first taste. She dropped me several pieces for home and wrote down the recipe. They told me they are making them for Christmas. They melt in the mouth, the taste of cinnamon and honey is really seducing.

Ingredients:
 
For the dough:

• 1 kg of flour
• 3 cups oil
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of semolina
• 1 pack baking powder (10 g)
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup cognac
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the syrup:

• 2 cups of sugar
• 2 cups of water
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 3-4 pieces of cloves

Nuts for decoration

Preparation:

1. First, prepare the syrup. Boil water, sugar with cinnamon and cloves until it begins to thicken. After the pot is removed from fire, add honey and remove the cinnamon and the cloves and leave to cool down completely.
2. Mix the dough from all the ingredients for the dough and make small balls as the size of a walnut or oval shaped forms. 
3. Align on an oiled baking pan and bake at 170 C degrees until they are baked, about 20 minutes. 
4. Pour with the cold syrup while they are hot and decorate with crushed walnuts. 
5. They are not stored in the fridge but at room temperature covered with nylon foil.