This time last year my husband and I were traveling around the Island of Crete for a two-week vacation. We met really wonderful people, ate delicious food, drank great wines, (as well as Raki) and took in all the beautiful scenery. It’s crazy how fast this past year has gone by and I would love to be back there experiencing it all over again. Perhaps we’ll have another opportunity to visit again in the near future.

So lately, I have been reminiscing and all I want to do is eat Greek food and experience their culture. Two weeks ago we went to a Greek Festival in Oakland and this weekend we’ll be attending another festival in San Jose. We also went out to eat last weekend for my husband’s birthday at a very nice Greek restaurant. However, it’s just not the same and so I wanted to make something today, which reminded me of the special times during our vacation. So I decided to make Loukamades, tossed in Hot Cinnamon Syrup with Toasted Walnuts. I’ve eaten so many of these today that I’m sure I’ll be up all night with a sugar rush. They were really fun to make and all the employees at work loved them.

While we were traveling through Crete, we spent the night in a town called Paleochora, which is located on the southwest coast of Crete along the Libyan Sea. The town is very beautiful, quaint, with two gorgeous beaches. Anyway, I believe it was a weeknight and my husband and I had just finished dinner and we were walking around the streets and we stumbled upon this small little cafe where they only serve Loukamades—the best in the area! So it’s about 11:30pm when we arrive at the cafe and there are one or two other couples chatting, but by midnight, the place was packed with locals (about 30) eating Loukamades and drinking Greek coffee and Raki. It was such a wonderful experience, watching all of these people (family, friends, neighbors discussing their day with their kids playing in the street) and it was all centered around food—these little delicious balls of dough. I’ll never forget that experience and I am so glad that we had the opportunity to be there.

I have never made Loukamades, Beignets or donuts before and so I researched a bunch of recipes and combined certain elements to make it taste exactly how I remembered. You can use a basic donut recipe, but what surprised me the most about the dough was how soft and sticky it was. It almost reminded me of brioche, without all of the butter, and it was just as difficult to work with. To avoid adding unneeded flour while forming the balls, spray a little bit of canola spray on your fingertips and form the dough into small balls the size of cherries. I let the dough rise for about an hour, formed into balls and then dropped into hot oil at 375 degrees, turning constantly so that they browned evenly. I then drained them on paper towels and then tossed in the hot Cinnamon Syrup.

For the syrup, I chose to make a simple syrup (3 cups sugar to 2 parts water) instead of using melted honey. I reduced the simple syrup, along with ground cinnamon, orange zest, and lemon juice to a thick consistency. While the Loukamades are still hot, pour over the cinnamon syrup and toss to coat evenly. Arrange in a bowl and sprinkle with toasted minced walnuts. They are soft and moist on the inside with a slight crunchy exterior—and they are a sticky mess—but you’ll love them! Serve hot and enjoy a small taste of Greece no matter where you are!! Opa!