Crunchy, nutritious, delicious! Apart from snacks, garnish or ingredient in savory combinations, nuts are also ideal for sweets with an unforgettable taste!
A cookie acquires a different flavor when accompanied by hazelnuts. A chocolate becomes richer when it contains almonds. And of course we must not forget the unique recipes of traditional sweets with walnut and pistachio. When you find out how many exquisite sweet combinations you can make with nuts and dried fruits, you won’t step backward.You will find some special suggestions bellow.We will be adding one more idea every month to inspire you.
1) Caramelized nuts with chocolate
INGREDIENTS
50 gr. almonds
50 gr. hazelnuts
50 gr. Aegina pistachios
90 gr. sugar
30 gr. water
250 gr. chopped couverture chocolate
IMPLEMENTATION
Bring the water with the sugar to a boil and then add the nuts. Stir constantly until caramelized. When finished, spread the nuts on a greased baking paper and let them cool. At the same time, put the couverture in a baking pan and as soon as it melts, start stirring it until it cools down and becomes smoother. Once the nuts have cooled, break them into smaller pieces, and throw them in the bowl of the couverture. When the mixture is ready, place it on a baking sheet until the coating stabilizes. You can put it in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes or leave it outside. It can be placed in 2 different ways onto the baking paper. Either put the mixture all together and then break it into small pieces or use a spoon to make small portions and put them on the paper to cool down individually.
2) Mosaic with hazelnuts
INGREDIENTS
250 gr of butter or margarine
8 tbsp. cocoa sweet
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1½ pack of wholemeal petit four cookies
1/4 cup cognac
1 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts
IMPLEMENTATION
Put the butter in a saucepan and put it on low to medium heat to melt. Add the cocoa and stir with a spoon or silicon spatula. Then add the sweetened milk and mix well until all ingredients are dissolved and mixed smoothly. Remove from heat and add the cognac. Break the biscuits into 5-6 pieces each and place them in a bowl with the hazelnuts. Once the butter mixture is ready and slightly cool, mix it with the cookies until they are fully covered by the chocolate mixture. Spread the mixture on a baking paper and wrap it in a cylindrical shape. Place the mosaic in the freezer until well frozen.
3) Traditional walnut pie
INGREDIENTS
500 gr. chopped walnuts
1 ½ cup breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons semolina
1 cup sugar
½ cup brandy
12 eggs (separate the yolks from the whites)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon tea
¼ teaspoon powdered clove
1 tube of vanilla
A few grated walnuts for garnish
FOR THE SYRUP
3 cups sugar
Lemon juice of ½ lemon
IMPLEMENTATION
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Beat the yolks with the sugar in a bowl until fluffy. Add the brandy and spices. Mix separately the semolina with the baking powder and vanilla, add them into the bowl and beat until the mixture becomes homogeneous. Add the breadcrumbs and walnuts little by little. Beat the egg whites until they become a meringue and incorporate it into the bowl, stirring with gentle movements from bottom to top so that the air does not leave. This would result in a dense, non fluffy walnut pie. Spread the mixture in an oiled pan and bake the walnut pie for 30΄-40΄ until it turns golden. Let it cool and cut it into diamond-shaped or square pieces. Meanwhile, prepare the syrup. Simmer the sugar with 2 cups of water and the lemon for 15΄. Pour some of the hot syrup on the cold walnut pie, let it stand until it absorbs the syrup and then keep on pouring syrup. Continue in the same way until the syrup is finished. Sprinkle with grated walnuts.
4) Melomakarona
INGREDIENTS
1100 gr. all-purpose flour
300 gr. olive oil (light)
300 gr. sunflower oil
50 gr. cognac
160 gr. Orange juice
200 gr. sugar
1 tbsp. powdered clove
2 tbsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. baking powder
200 g crushed Almanda walnuts
Zest of 2 oranges
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SYRUP
500 gr. sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 cinnamon stick
1 lemon peel
IMPLEMENTATION
Put the olive oil, the sunflower oil, the brandy, the sugar, the cinnamon, the clove and the orange zest in the mixer and beat them until they are homogenous. Dissolve the baking soda in the orange juice and add it carefully to the mixture. Expect it to rise fast. Whisk well, add the flour and baking powder and mix gently until ingredients are combined. Shape the melomakarona into the shape and size you want (about 30g each) and bake for about 25 minutes in a preheated oven at 160°C in the air. Ideally they should be cooked until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely, without covering them.
IMPLEMENTATION FOR THE SYRUP
Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and once they start boiling, boil for 3 minutes. Dip the melomakarona in the syrup for at least 20 seconds on each side so that they are syrupy and yet crunchy. Hold them for 30 seconds in the syrup for balance between the textures and for 40 seconds if you want your melomakarona very syrupy and soft. Sprinkle with walnuts.
5) Peanut butter
INGREDIENTS
500 gr. Almanda salted peanuts
2 tbsp. peanut oil or sesame oil or corn oil
1 tbsp. honey
IMPLEMENTATION
Beat the peanuts in the multimixer for 2 minutes until broken in small grains (the thickness is up to your taste) and then slowly add the oil and honey. Continue stirring for 6-7 minutes until the mixture becomes a thick cream. Store it in a glass jar. Store in the refrigerator for 2 months.
6) Traditional baklava
MATERIALS
1 packet of crust dough for baklava
500 gr. grated Almanda walnut kernels
8 tbsp. sugar, approximately
120 grams
2 tbsp. powdered breadcrumbs
Grate half an orange & 1 lemon
1 1/2 cup (300 ml) melted butter
1 tbsp. cinnamon & 1 tbsp. clove powder
Whole cloves for decoration
FOR THE SYRUP
500 ml water
600 gr. sugar
2 tbsp. honey
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick
IMPLEMENTATION
We prepare the syrup first. Bring the water to a boil and dissolve the sugar. Add the lemon and cinnamon. Once it has boiled for 5 minutes, remove from the heat and add the honey. Allow the syrup to cool. Add the sugar and the breadcrumbs to the walnut. Stir and add the cinnamon, powdered cloves and zest. Keep the dough covered with a damp towel. Butter the pan and spread the first three dought sheets, sprinkling each one well with butter. Sprinkle a bit of the filling with a spoon. Cover with the next sheet, sprinkling it with butter. Repeat with filling and again another dough sheet. In total the procedure for 12 dough sheets is: 3 sheets at the bottom, filling-sheet interchanging for the next 6 rows and finally the top 3 covering dough sheets. Fold the edges inwards and butter well. Carve the baklava diagonally into diamonds-shaped pieces. Place a clove on top of each piece. Bake the baklava in a preheated oven at 180 ° C for about 45-50 minutes or in the air at 170 ° C. Once it comes out hot from the oven, we pour the syrup gradually with a spoon. Let the baklava soak up and absorb the syrup for at least 1.5 - 2 hours before serving.
