On the Ninth Day of Christmas

On the night day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French Hens
Two turtle doves
And the Best Ever Rum Ball Recipe

Greek Honey-Walnut Balls

1/3 cup honey
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup orange juice
1 2" cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
1 cup ground walnuts
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
1 cup butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brandy
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Combine honey, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup orange juice, cinnamon stick and whole cloves in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 5 minutes, uncovered.

Strain syrup, discarding spices. Remove 1/4 cup syrup. Set aside remaining syrup.

Combine ground walnuts and orange peel in a medium bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup syrup; set aside

. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds or until softened. Add half the flour. Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, remaining 1/4 cup orange juice, brandy, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground nutmeg. Beat until well blended. Beat or stir in remaining flour.

Form dough into 1-1/4" balls and using your finger, press hole in center of ball of dough. Place about 1/2 teaspoon ground nut filling in hole. Bring dough up around filling, enclosing completely. Place seam side down on greased baking sheet. With knife, crisscross top, forming an "x," scoring surface only. Repeat with remaining dough and filling

. Bake at 350 for 18 to 20 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven; let stand on baking sheet 1 minute. Meanwhile, warm the reserved syrup gently over low heat. Brush tops of hot cookies with warm syrup, or dip tops into syrup. Sprinkle with finely chopped walnuts. Place on wire rack to cool completely.

Turkish Honey-Dipped Cookies

Yield about 8 dozen

Ingredients:

Dough:

· 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened

· 1 cup sugar

· 1 cup canola oil

· 3 egg yolks

· 1 teaspoon vanilla

· 1/2 cup orange juice

· 2 teaspoons baking powder

· 1 teaspoon baking soda

· 6 cups all-purpose flour

· 3/4 cup chopped walnuts plus additional 1 cup ground walnuts for garnish

· .

Syrup:

· 2 cups honey

· 1/2 cup water

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add oil and beat again. Beat in yolks and vanilla until well mixed. Mix 1/4 cup orange juice with baking powder and baking soda. Add to batter, mixing well. Beat in flour and remaining orange juice and stir in the walnuts. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate until well chilled.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper on baking sheets or coat lightly with cooking spray. Shape dough into small oval cookies and place on prepared pans. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cookies cool completely.
3. To make the syrup, combine honey and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Dip cold cookies in hot syrup. Sprinkle cookies with ground walnuts and place in decorative paper cups.

Kourambiedes (Greek Shortcake)
makes about 4 dozen

1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 shot ouzo, brandy, or cognac
3 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
2/3 cup roasted and crushed almonds
additional confectioners sugar, for rolling

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Beat the butter until very creamy. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.. Beat in the egg yolks, one a time, until well incorporated and finally, mix in the vanilla and the ouzo.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture slowly, until incorporated and a relatively stiff dough forms. Add more flour, if necessary. Knead in the almonds, and knead the dough 5 or 6 times.

Using tablespoon sized portions, roll the dough into crescents or rounds; and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for about 24 minutes. Cookies should be slightly browned, but not too dark.

Let the cookies cool for ten minutes or so before rolling in powdered sugar.