Let’s go to the first dessert of this blog! These are semolina cookies from Albania. I kept a few without dipping them into syrup, just so that I have some with lower sugar content, they work just as fine!
Ingredients
Syrup
- 350 g sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (or a strip of lemon peel)
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar (optional)
- 400 ml water
Cookies
- 120 g sugar
- 100 g soft butter (room temperature)
- 60 ml rapeseed oil
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk (save a little yolk to glaze)
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 150 g mannagryn (=wheat semolina)
- 220 g all purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
To top
- almonds (optional)
- 1 tsp milk to loosen the glaze
Steps
- 1 Syrup first. Bring water + sugar to a simmer; cook 8–10 min until slightly syrupy. Stir in lemon (and vaniljsocker if using). Cool to room temp.
- 2 Heat oven. 180 °C (fan 160 °C). Line a tray with baking paper.
- 3 Dough. Beat butter + sugar until pale. Mix in oil, egg, yolk, vanilla sugar, salt. Fold in semolina, flour and baking powder to a soft dough.
- 4 Shape. Roll walnut size balls (~25 g). Set on tray, lightly flatten. Brush tops with a little yolk mixed with 1 tsp milk. Press an almond on each if you like.
- 5 Bake. 18–22 min until golden.
- 6 Soak. While hot, slowly ladle the cooled syrup over cookies on the tray. Rest 10–15 min to absorb; turn once for even soaking.
- 7 Serve. Slightly warm or at room temp.
Store in a tin; they keep well. Notes No semolina? Use standard Swedish wheat semolina (mannagryn). Add lemon or orange zest to the dough for extra aroma. For drier cookies, use a bit less syrup; for softer, use it all.
Lambros' kitchen travellog 