Walnut, Almonds and Dates in Vino Cotto Cookies
Walnut, Almonds and Dates in Vino Cotto Cookies
There won’t be a crumb left of these moist goodies once you’ve tried them. Loaded with sweet dates and a crunchy nut filling coated in Vino Cotto, these cookies create a homely and irresistible teatime dessert.
They’re easy to make, freeze well and perfect to have on hand for unexpected guests. Add these wonderful cookies to your recipe file. Feel free to alternate the nuts to your liking.
Makes 30 cookies approx.
Ingredients
80g honey
50g (¼ cup) sugar
100ml water
4 orange peels
1½ tbsp sesame seeds
125g walnuts, coarsely crushed
125g almonds, coarsely crushed
125g fresh dates, thinly sliced
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
Pinch of finely grated nutmeg
¼ cup Vino Cotto
a few tablespoons of milk, to seal and coat cookies
icing sugar, sieved, for serving
Sweet Pastry
1 egg
½ cup caster sugar
½ cup olive oil
½ cup milk
40mls Grand Mariner
420g plain flour, allow for extra
Method
Using an electric mixer, whisk egg and sugar until sugar dissolves and pale in colour. Add olive oil, milk and liqueur and whisk until fluffy and bubbly.
Gradually add in the sifted flour, mixing well with each addition forming a dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface to form a smooth and soft dough, cover with kitchen wrap and rest for 1 hour in refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 180C degrees.
Stir honey, sugar, water and orange peels in a saucepan over a low heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a gentle boil and reduce to a syrup(6-8 minutes) or until the syrup coats the back of a spoon and darkens in colour. Remove from heat and discard the orange peels.
In a shallow bowl, add nuts, dates, sesame seeds, spices and Vino Cotto. Stir to combine. Pour over the hot syrup and mix until well combined and syrup is absorbed. Set aside to cool.
Cut dough into four equal pieces and cover remaining with cloth.
Roll each dough on a floured surface to a 3mm-thickness. Cut out rounds.
Spoon one tablespoon of nut mixture onto one side of each round. Lightly moisten the edges with milk. Fold the pastry over the filling to encase and form a crescent shape. Press edges with a fork to seal. Alternatively, use a cookie cutter of your preference.
Line oven trays with baking paper and brush cookies with milk.
Bake until golden (18-20minutes). Cool cookies on tray for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
To serve, dust with icing sugar.
These cookies will keep stored in an airtight container for a few weeks.
Enjoy!
Buy the Vino Cotto you need for this recipe online. Click here.