I believe that these were the first Cretan cookies that I have ever had. Dear Crete is a confectionery business that has been operated by three generation of the Kalabokis family in the province of Sitia, on the island of Crete since 1930. The family bake cookies and biscuits with the love of tradition and pure ingredients including "world-renowned, multiple award-winning extra-virgin olive oil from Sitia." One of their products that Santa J brought to me was Traditional Mandarin Cookies.
They were crunchy but soft. I know that sounds contradictory. The combination of whole wheat flour, olive oil, and semolina without dairy or eggs must have created the interesting texture, which was somehow pleasant. A lot of sesame and the sent of mandarin created almost savory flavor rather than sweet. In fact they were not so sweet. Overall we liked them very much. The cookies must be much healthier than usual cookies made with tons of sugar and butter. I hope to have a chance to try Dear Crete's products more!
