Loukoumades! yummmmm

Of all the Greek sweets, loukoumades are most reminiscent of moonlit nights, midnight parties and neighborhood coffee shops under Greek skies.  Both child and adult recall the vision and aroma of a platter loaded with loukoumades,warm and succulent, drenched with local honey and splattered with cinnamon, and a sigh is heard.  Ah, the memories!!

There is a cute little loukoumades vendor here on Poros, where we live.

Loukoumades or Honey Puffs
2 packages yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 teas. salt
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
3-4 cups flour
cooking oil
honey
cinnamon
     Soften the yeast in a smalll bowl  of warm water.  Pour the milk in a large bowl; add sugar and salt;stir in yeast and beaten eggs; add melted butter and beat well; add flour, beating batter continuously until it is smooth and thick.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.  Pour 3-4 inches of cooking oil into a deep saucepan and heat until very hot. (like making doughnuts.)  Stir the batter well before dropping by the tablespoonful into the hot batter; cook untill the puffs are golden brown on all sides.  Remove and drain on
paper towels.  Place the loukoumades on a platter, sprinkling lavishly with warm honey diluted with a very little bit of water and sprinkle with cinnamon.  You can also get creative and pour Nutella, melted chocolate, powdered sugar or crushed walnuts and eat with ice cream...let your imagination go wild! These are probably Yannis favorite dessert, along with galaktobouriko, backlava, mille feuille, actually... anything sweet!