Milopitakia

Zest the orange using a fine grater. Then squeeze the juice from the orange; if you don't get 100 ml, add water to reach 100 ml. Prepare the filling. Peel the apples and cut them into small cubes. Place in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of water, and cook for 15-20 minutes until the apples are completely soft. If your apples are tart, it's best to increase the amount of sugar. Add the raisins, chopped walnuts, cinnamon, and half of the zest.

Stir to combine; if the filling is too crumbly, mash it slightly with a potato masher and stir again. The filling is ready.

Make the dough. Pour the juice and vegetable oil into a bowl (the oil should of course be refined). Add the powdered sugar, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, the second half of the zest, and salt. Stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder. Gradually add the flour to the bowl, mixing well. Start mixing in the bowl.

Then continue on the counter. You may need more or less flour — I used 270 g. The dough should be very soft, not stiff, slightly oily, non-sticky, and very pleasant to work with. Don't overdo it with the flour!

Shape the pastries. Roll the dough out to about 5 mm thick. Cut out circles using a glass.

Roll each circle out into a thinner round and place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the center.

Fold over and press the edges to seal.

Place the pastries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let them cool completely — they taste so much better that way!

A look at the inside. Thanks to the cinnamon they look quite golden, yet they're wonderfully tender.

Milopitakia are incredibly delicious little pastries! Rest assured, everyone will want one — whether they're fasting or not — and the last pastry just might spark a full-on battle. Be prepared for anything!))