Greek Walnut Rolls Recipes

KARIDOPITA/KARITHOPITA RECIPE (GREEK WALNUT CAKE WITH SYRUP)

Steps:

• Use an electric mixer to mix the sugar and butter; mix at medium-high speed for at least 5 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, whilst continue mixing; wait each time for each egg to be absorbed, before adding the next. Pour in the cognac and the orange zest and mix for 10 more seconds. Set aside.
• Into a large bowl, add the chopped walnut, the powdered Melba toast, the cinnamon, the clove, the nutmeg, the baking powder and blend with a spoon. (Chop the walnut, using a blender, but be careful not to powder it; the authentic greek walnut cake calls for roughly chopped walnuts.)
• Combine the two mixtures and blend, until smooth.
• Place the egg whites into the bowl of the electric mixer, along with a pinch of salt. Make sure your egg whites, bowl and whisk attachments are clean and free of any water. Whisk the egg whites until the mixture is very thick and glossy and a long trailing peak forms when the whisk is lifted (meringues).
• With a spatula add gradually the meringues into the mixture and blend with light circular movements from the bottom up.
• Butter the bottom and the sides of a round baking tray, approx 30cm diameter and bake in a preheated oven at 170C, for about 35 minutes, until nicely colored on the outside and baked through.
• Let the karidopita (greek walnut cake) to cool and then prepare the syrup. Add all the ingredients for the syrup into a pot, and boil, until the sugar has dissolved. Scar the cake into pieces, and slowly ladle the hot syrup over the cold cake, allowing time for each ladle of syrup to be absorbed.
• Let it cool down for a while, before serving. This Greek walnut cake is ideally served cold with some vanilla ice-cream aside. Enjoy!!

KOURABIEDES (GREECE): WALNUT SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Toast the walnuts until golden brown and fragrant, about 6 minutes. Let cool, then chop about half of the nuts (you should have about 1/2 cup chopped). Pulse the remaining nuts in the food processor until finely ground (about 1/4 cup ground).
• Stir the flour, baking powder, salt and nuts together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In another medium bowl, beat the butter, sugar, egg yolk, brandy and vanilla extract together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the mixture gets light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
• At low speed, stir in the nut mixture to make a crumbly dough. Cover the bowl and set dough aside at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or coat with nonstick spray.
• With a tablespoon, scoop out 1-inch pieces of dough and roll into balls between the palms of your hands. Pinch the ends of the balls to make a football shape. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies set and start to brown, about 18 minutes.
• Remove cookies from the oven and immediately sprinkle them lightly with the orange water. (If you don't have a brush, simply dip your fingers into the water and flick it over the cookies a few times.) Take care not to douse them, just enough for them to carry the scent of flowers.
• Put the confectioners' sugar in a bag, and add 5 to 6 of the warm cookies to it. Very gently toss the cookies to coat with sugar. Remove them from the bag and cool cookies on a rack. Repeat with remaining cookies. Serve.
• Busy baker's tips: Dough can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Baked cookies can be wrapped in plastic, then aluminum foil, for up to 2 weeks. To serve, let cookies come to room temperature before dusting with confectioners' sugar.
• Cook's Note: If you can't find orange flower water, try specialty stores or online.
• Copyright (c) 2007 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

WALNUT PASTRY ROLLS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, cook and stir 1-1/2 cups sugar and 1 cup evaporated milk until mixture comes to a boil. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in walnuts and honey. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into walnut mixture. Cover and refrigerate filling at least 2 hours. , For dough, in a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups flour, salt and remaining sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Add the yeast mixture, egg yolks and remaining evaporated milk; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Turn onto a floured surface. Punch dough down; divide into four portions. Roll each portion into a 15x11-in. rectangle. Spread walnut filling to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal and tuck ends under. Place seam side down on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. Brush 2 tablespoons milk over tops and sides of rolls. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks., Combine confectioners' sugar and enough remaining milk to achieve desired consistency; drizzle over warm rolls.

GREEK WALNUT ROLLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Combine nuts with cinnamon, cloves and sugar. Set aside.
• Brush three phyllo leaves generously with melted butter and stack them on each other evenly. Sprinkle evenly with a thin layer of the nut-sugar mixture.
• Brush three more sheets of dough with butter, stack them and lay them over the nut mixture. Sprinkle another layer of nuts on the top sheet of dough.
• Roll lengthwise, jellyroll fashion. Brush top of roll with melted butter. Prepare two more rolls in this fashion, using the remaining sheets of dough and nut mixture.
• Cut each roll into one-inch slices. Place the slices close together, side by side, in one or more baking pans.
• Bake about 30 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and golden brown.
• While walnut rolls bake, prepare the syrup. Combine water, sugar, and lemon slice in a small, heavy-bottom saucepan and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until a light syrup is formed.
• Pour warm syrup over walnut rolls as soon as they are taken from the oven. Serve the cookies at room temperature. Store in airtight metal cookie tins.

BAKLAVA ROLLS WITH ALMONDS AND WALNUTS - AUTHENTIC GREEK RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine almonds, walnuts, bread crumbs, cinnamon, orange rind, sugar and brandy. Mix well.
• Separate dough in parts, so that each part has two "phylla" as they're called.Butter up the first two.
• Spread on top of them a thin layer from the filling, leaving 2 cm from the edges. Fold edges and roll it tightly. Do the same thing with the rest "phylla".
• Curve the baklava rolls with a sharp knife, almost half-way through. Do not cut them all the way! Each cut should be about 4-5 cm from the other.
• Brush the baklava rolls with plenty of butter and place them in buttered pan.
• Bake for 30-40 mins at 180 C (355 F).
• Meanwhile prepare syrup mixing and boiling all ingredients, until its thickness compares to that of olive oil.
• Let the syrup cool down.
• when baklava rolls seem golden brown, you take them out and cut out the pieces you had previously curved. Put it back in the hot oven for 5 minutes.
• Take the rolls out and immediately pour the cooled syrup over them. Let it cool before serving.