Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without these tasty little cookies. And with no egg or dairy they're perfectly Vegan
To make 25
Ingredients
For the Syrup:
150g water
300g sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
half an orange
100g honey
For the Cookies
75g fine semolina
250g plain flour
One and a half teaspoons Baking Powder
50g Orange Juice
1.5 tbsp Brandy
50g sugar
half tablespoon cinnamon
quarter teaspoon nutmeg
quarter teaspoon clove
half teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and half teaspoon baking soda
45g water
60g olive oil
60g vegetable/sunflower oil
25g honey
zest of 1 orange
To Garnish
100g chopped walnuts
Method
1 First prepare the syrup as it should be cold when poured onto the hot cookies. Bring all the syrup ingredients, except the honey, together in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the hob, stir in the honey and set aside to cool
2 Prepare the cookie dough. In a bowl combine the semolina, flour and baking powder. Set aside.
3 In a separate bowl add the orange juice, brandy, sugar and spices. Mix. Add the baking soda and whisk immediately for 5-10 seconds. The ingredients should be combined, the soda dissolved and beginning to foam. Add to the bowl the water, oil, orange zest and honey and whisk to combine.
4 Combine the two mixtures for the dough, and knead until it is smooth, soft and slightly sticky. Be careful not to overwork the dough as it will become tough or the oil will separate from the dough and give the cookies an oily taste
5 Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160fan. Layer a couple of large baking trays with parchment paper and start dividing the dough into portions of about the size of a walnut (30g). Shape these into a smooth oblong shape and place on the baking tray. Push a fork lightly across the top of each cookie, piercing them three times on top about half way through the dough. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes until evenly browned and cooked through.
6 As soon as they come out of the oven dip them in the cold syrup, flipping them with a slotted spoon to absorb the syrup for approx 10-20 seconds. Remove them from the syrup and place on a platter. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts
7 Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container and they will last through out the festive season