I hadn’t baked anything in quite a while because I’d been rafting down the Danube River.  Once the police made us stop in Budapest, we had the opportunity to relax for a week at a friend’s house.  She is a teacher, and asked us if we’d come speak to her students about our travels.  We were in a smaller village, and most of the kids had never seen foreigners before.  It was an awesome time, and the kids begged us to return again the next day.  I wanted to make a special treat for them, so I scoured the kitchen for ingredients and came up with this.  Enjoy!

Prep time: 2 minutes

Cook time: 8-10

Ingredients:

• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 c honey
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 c + 1 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
• 6 tsp baking powder -or- 1 tsp baking soda and 2 tsp baking powder
• 1-2 tbsp of date molasses

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C, and line a baking tray with wax paper.  In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder/soda, and brown sugar.  In a smaller bowl, whisk oil, honey, molasses, and almond extract.  Add the mixture to the large bowl, and stir until you achieve a cohesive batter.  If your batter is still too “liquidy” and not dry enough to form balls with your hands, add another spoonful of molasses to act as a binding agent (since you are not using egg or butter).  Form tbsp size balls, and place onto the baking sheet.  Garnish with chopped walnuts.

Yields 2 dozen cookies