How to make kozinaki at home

It is difficult to find a person who would not try this oriental sweetness and did not submit to its taste. Georgian delicacy - kozinaki can be made from various nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and other ingredients. As a binder, caramel is used, which is boiled from sugar and honey with the addition of additional ingredients. Modern recipes allow the variation of components, but one thing remains the same - the sweetness and rich taste of this treat.

Kozinaki is not only very tasty, but also healthy. Indeed, natural nuts and seeds contain a huge amount of healthy fats, macro- and microelements, vitamins. Honey is another valuable product that is part of the goodies. Kozinaki should not be eaten by people allergic to beekeeping products. If you do not want to buy kozinaki of dubious quality in the store, then you can make the sweet yourself!

The recipe for classic gozinaki

According to the traditional recipe, kozinaki is made from walnuts with almonds and honey.

1. Walnuts need to be peeled so that about two glasses of pure kernels are obtained. To them you need to add almonds, about 0.7 cups.
2. Nuts are pre-dried in the oven or in a pan. This is done in order to get rid of excess moisture. Kozinaki from dried nuts will be crispy and delicious. Drying nuts is better in the oven at low temperature, so that the kernels are more flavorful. If there is no time for long drying, you can just pour the nuts into the pan and stir them all the time for 10 minutes. Do not overheat the nuts; they should not burn.
3. The next step is to chop the nuts. It’s best to do it manually. After all, a meat grinder will simply turn nuts into porridge, they will become oily and too small. A blender will produce a similar result. But if you cut the nuts manually, then the whole pieces in the finished product will look very good. Small nuts can be left whole, and large ones will have to be cut into several parts.
4. When the nuts are ready, you can begin to prepare the syrup. For this we need sugar, honey, water and lemon. Syrup needs to be boiled in a pan with a thick bottom so that it does not burn. Pour a glass of sugar into the dishes, add three quarters of a glass of water and put on a slow fire. We do not immediately add honey so that it does not heat up once again and retains its useful properties. Stir the sugar with water constantly to dissolve the crystals. When the sugar melts, add half a glass of honey and the juice of one lemon to the mass. Lemon gives kozinaki a subtle acidity and subtle citrus aroma.
5. When the mass becomes liquid and completely homogeneous, the syrup is ready. Now you can lay nuts in it. This should be done carefully, since the syrup is very hot and can be burned. At the same time, you need to constantly stir the pan so that the bottom does not burn.
6. When the whole mass "seizes", it will need to be shifted to a flat surface. To do this, you need to line the baking sheet or board with wet parchment. It will not allow future treats to stick to the surface.
7. Put the sweet mass on the parchment and smooth its top. Too thin a layer does not need to be done, otherwise the kozinaki will crumble. The optimal thickness of the treats is 1-2 cm. To keep the surface part even, you can roll out the layer with a rolling pin. Do not worry if the edges are clumsy - they can easily be trimmed. Even before the kozinaki harden, make light cuts on the surface. After solidification, the sweet layer will be easily broken along the designated lines.
8. After molding, the layer is sent to the balcony or to the refrigerator. At low temperatures, kozinaki seize faster and better.

This is a recipe for making classic walnuts and almonds gozinaki. But there are still many variations of this sweetness.

Kozinaki from sesame seeds

Goats are very tasty if you cook them from sunflower seeds with the addition of sesame. Take the seeds and peel them. In the store you can buy already peeled kernels. If the seeds are raw, the grains must be fried in a pan. This must be done very quickly, since the seeds can burn in just a couple of minutes. Pour the seeds into a dry frying pan and stir, without leaving the stove. Together with the seeds (in one dish), you can lightly fry sesame seeds.

After that, caramel is prepared. Put sugar and water in a bowl, boil the syrup. For taste, you can add spices to taste. Add a little nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon or lemon juice to give the sweets a special aroma and unusual aftertaste. The last stage - add honey to the mass. Mix everything thoroughly and wait for the honey to dissolve. After that, put the dry component in the pan and mix everything quickly and quickly. Then you can put the mass on a flat surface or even it directly in the same pan (if the bottom area of ​​the dishes allows). Leave the treat to freeze in the refrigerator. After a few hours, you can treat your guests with sweetness.

Diet Kozinaki

Since kozinaki is a fairly high-calorie dessert, we will try to prepare its dietary counterpart. Such gozinaki without fear can be eaten by diabetics, allergy sufferers, as well as those who care about their figure. So, for dietary goat we need seeds, a little peanuts, a couple of spoons of sesame. All dry ingredients must be fried in a pan until light crunch. Peanuts can be chopped into several pieces or left unchanged. Instead of syrup and sweet component, we will use a banana. Mash a couple of bananas in a blender, add a pinch of cardamom and some cinnamon. Then you need to mix all the ingredients. It is better to mix everything with your hands so that each seed and nut are in a banana shell. After that, roll out the layer with a rolling pin and cut it into pieces with a knife. You can also arrange kozinaki in the form of cookies - cut out figures from the reservoir with special molds. Formed kozinaki are sent to the oven for drying. You need to keep them there for about half an hour at a temperature of 180 degrees. Allow the goats to cool and enjoy their taste without harm to health.

Oatmeal Kozinaki

Kozinaki with pearl barley

This is one of the most unusual recipes of kozinaki, but no less tasty and healthy. To prepare it, we need a glass of pearl barley, 5 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of honey, lemon juice and vegetable oil.

Pre-soak barley in warm water for 10 minutes. After this, drain the water, leave the cereal to drain in a colander. Then again fill with water and leave for a while. So repeat 4-5 times.The croup of grain will soften a little, but it will still be strong and solid, it must be laid out in a dry frying pan. Stir in wet barley to dry completely. Then pour a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil into the cereal and fry it for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, cook syrup from sugar and honey, and then mix the two components. Form a layer, cut into pieces and leave it to harden. All useful kozinaki from barley are ready. To taste remind corn popcorn in sugar syrup.

Kozinaki is a great alternative to flour products and desserts. Please your beloved painfully familiar taste of Georgian kozinaki.

Video: how to cook kozinaki