Georgian Dessert

Gozinaki

Gozinaki is a Georgian New Year confection of toasted walnuts bound in amber honey and cut into crisp-chewy diamonds. This version uses measured ingredients, clear visual cues and the traditional flavour balance that makes the dish distinctive.

Jump to recipe More Georgian food
15 minsPrep time
15 minsCook time
Serves 20Servings
MediumDifficulty
Gozinaki
About this dish

Gozinaki: the story on the plate

Gozinaki is a Georgian dessert with a clear sense of place. Gozinaki is a traditional Georgian walnut-and-honey sweet strongly associated with New Year celebrations. Its ingredient list is minimal, so the quality of the walnuts and honey is especially exposed. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Historical background

Gozinaki is a traditional Georgian walnut-and-honey sweet strongly associated with New Year celebrations. Its ingredient list is minimal, so the quality of the walnuts and honey is especially exposed.

Why it is famous

It belongs on festive tables and carries symbolic associations with abundance and celebration at the turn of the year.

Cultural significance

It belongs on festive tables and carries symbolic associations with abundance and celebration at the turn of the year.

Nutrition

Estimated nutrition per serving

These figures are estimates per serving. Actual nutrition can vary with the brands and exact amounts you use, how much oil, dressing or sauce is absorbed, any substitutions or added extras, and the portion size served.

A practical guide for comparing recipes and planning meals.

220Calories
4gProtein
18gCarbs
16gFat
Ingredients

What you need

  • 400 Walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 250 clear honey
  • 30 caster sugar, optional for a firmer set
  • fine salt
Method

Step-by-step method

Follow the recipe in order, tasting and adjusting seasoning where needed.

  1. Toast the walnuts in a dry pan or 170°C oven for 7–8 minutes until fragrant, then tip them onto a tray so they do not continue darkening.
  2. Warm the honey in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Let it bubble gently for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly darker and more concentrated.
  3. If using sugar, add it now with the pinch of salt and stir until dissolved. Add the toasted walnuts and mix continuously for 3–4 minutes so every piece is heavily coated.
  4. Scrape the hot mixture onto baking paper lightly dampened with water. Cover with a second sheet and roll or press to an even 8–10 mm thickness.
  5. While still warm but no longer fluid, peel away the top paper and cut into diamonds with an oiled knife. Cutting after it cools completely is much harder and causes shattering.
  6. Leave to cool fully, then separate the pieces and store airtight with baking paper between layers.
Cook smarter

Tips, storage and serving advice

Shopping tips

If sulguni is unavailable, blend low-moisture mozzarella with feta for stretch plus tang. Fresh coriander and tarragon matter; stale dried herbs will not recreate the brightness of Georgian food. Check labels on compound ingredients such as sauces, spice blends, stocks, kimchi, fermented pastes and prepared breads when cooking for allergies.

Ingredient quality

For Gozinaki, prioritise fresh or properly stored versions of walnuts, clear honey, caster sugar, fine salt; speciality seasonings should smell vivid rather than stale.

Common mistakes

Burnt honey tastes bitter, untoasted nuts taste flat and cutting after full cooling leads to broken irregular pieces.

Chef’s tips

Cook honey until aromatic and slightly thickened but remove it before it smells burnt; carryover heat continues the caramelisation.

How to know it is cooked

The mixture presses into a cohesive sheet, loses its wet stickiness as it cools and holds a clean diamond shape.

Plating advice

Stack diamonds loosely on a small plate so their walnut mosaic remains visible.

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