How to Make Traditional Georgian Gozinaki: The Ultimate New Year’s Treat

Traditional Georgian Gozinaki Recipe

Gozinaki is a beloved, festive Georgian confection made simply from toasted walnuts and honey. Achieving the perfect "snap" requires patience during the honey reduction process.

Ingredients

• 1 kg Walnuts (high-quality, light-colored)

• 700 g Honey

• 60 g Sugar

Instructions

1. Prepare the Walnuts Place the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven. Stir occasionally to ensure they toast evenly without burning; the walnuts should remain light in color and not turn reddish-brown. Once the skins begin to loosen, remove them from the oven, let them cool, and rub the skins off by hand. Chop the walnuts into small, uniform pieces.

2. Reduce the Honey Place the honey in a cast-iron pot over very low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. Bring the honey to a boil and let it foam up for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat to prevent it from boiling over, then return it to the stove and repeat this process twice more (boiling for 10 minutes, then removing).

• Testing for Readiness: To check if the honey is ready, drop a small amount into a saucer of cold water. If the honey hardens and can be rolled into a firm "dough-like" ball between your fingers, it is ready.

3. Combine and Shape Have a wet wooden board, a small bowl of water, and a large spoon ready. Add the sugar to the thickened honey, stir briefly, and then fold in the prepared walnuts, stirring constantly. After 5–10 minutes of cooking together, pour the mixture onto the wet board. Using the spoon (dipped in water to prevent sticking), quickly spread the mixture to a thickness of about 7 millimeters and smooth the surface. While still warm, use a large, sharp knife or decorative cutters to slice the Gozinaki into your desired shapes.

4. Cooling and Storage Line a tray with parchment paper and arrange the Gozinaki pieces in a single layer. Store in a cool, dry place until completely set.

Tips for your website post:

• Terminology: You might want to add a note that this is a quintessential "New Year’s" dessert in Georgia.

• Visuals: If you are posting this on a website, emphasizing the "honey test" (the ice-water method) is very helpful for beginners, as it is the most critical step for success.