Kozinaki is a traditional Georgian sweet made from honey, sugar, various nuts or seeds. In this country, they are considered an invariable dish on the New Year's table, and in Russia they are served with tea or coffee at any time. To always have fresh and tasty kozinaki, it is better not to buy them in the store, but to cook them yourself.
Sunflower seed kozinaki
To prepare classic kozinaki from seeds, you must:
- 500 g of peeled sunflower seeds;
- 100 g of granulated sugar;
- 150 g of natural honey.
Pour honey into a ceramic bowl and add granulated sugar to it. Place in a water bath and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the honey is completely runny. Mix this sweet mass with peeled seeds. Spread the parchment paper on a board or baking sheet and place the seeds and honey on it. Dip a rolling pin in cold water and smooth out the mixture. Then wet the knife and cut the mass into cubes. When it is completely solidified, break it into pieces. Place the cooked kozinaki in a bag and store in the refrigerator.
Walnut Kozinaki
Ingredients:
- 500 g of shelled walnuts;
- 500 g of honey;
- 3 tbsp. tablespoons of granulated sugar.
Peel the nuts from the film, if they are young, then cut into large pieces, but do not crush. Place them in a preheated skillet and dry for 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly so that they do not fry. Then transfer them to a separate cup and pour the honey into the pan. When it starts to boil, add the sugar and wait for it to completely dissolve in the honey. Then remove from heat and cool slightly, stirring constantly. Return to heat, bring to a boil and cool again. Repeat this procedure one more time, and then add walnuts to the honey and simmer everything for about 5 minutes over very low heat, making sure that nothing is burnt. Smooth the finished mass on a board moistened with water and cut into pieces with a wet knife.
Kozinaki from peanuts and poppy seeds
Kozinaki made from sesame seeds, hazelnuts or pistachios are no less tasty. You can also make them from peanuts. For this you will need:
- 500 g of peeled peanuts;
- 2 tbsp. poppy spoons;
- 500 g of honey;
- 3 tbsp. tablespoons of lemon juice.
Fry the peanuts in a dry frying pan, making sure that they do not burn in any way. Then add poppy seeds to it and fry, stirring constantly, for another minute. Pour everything into a separate cup, and pour honey and lemon juice into the pan. Stirring constantly, bring honey to a boil, add toasted peanuts with poppy seeds and mix thoroughly. When the mass has cooled down a little, soak your hands in cold water and roll small balls out of it. Lay them out on parchment paper, and when they harden, transfer to a candy bowl.
