What if there was a way to combine the light and flaky goodness of baklava with the creaminess of cannoli? In these Greek Diples you can have it all because these traditional fried honey cookies are getting a cream filling in an updated version of the classic celebratory dessert.

Typically made for holidays and weddings, the process for rolling the dough and frying these light-as-air cookies (also known as honey curls) is not the simplest or the most straightforward if I’m being honest. But, it’s worth learning how to do because these cookies are something truly special.

To begin with we’re making the dough. It’s a simple mixture and contains no sugar at all. There is some vanilla in the dough, but otherwise it’s not unlike a pasta dough. And, speaking of pasta, we’re using a pasta machine for these yummy cookies. Even on the thinnest setting it won’t quite get us to the thinness we need, but it gets us close. Use a rolling pi to roll the dough out even thinner once it has been run through the pasta machine.

You really want the thinnest possible dough for these cookies and there are several reasons for this. First off, the thinner the cookie the faster it fries, leaving no raw areas in the middle of the roll. Secondly, you want a really crisp cookie that melts in your mouth and if the dough is too thick you’ll get something closer to a pita chip than a cookie.

When you’re frying the diples they should develop little bubbles all over as soon as the oil hits the dough. This is a sign you’ve rolled them thin enough. If they fry up flat and dense then you’re not getting the dough thin enough. You can see an example one I fried that was too thick in the photo below.

The shape is probably the hardest part of this process. Once the oil is heated up roll your dough out very thin. On my silicone baking mat I can read the markings clearly through the dough- that’s how thin it needs to be.

Cut to a strip about 3”x4” long then carefully place it in the hot oil. Taking some metal chopsticks or 2 forks quickly fold the dough over itself to make a roll. Then as it fries insert the fork or chopsticks into the folds to re-shape it into a roll. As it fries it will take on the shape of the roll. Even if the dough puffs up and seems impossible to fold you’ve got a bit more time than you might think. Just remember: practice makes perfect.

Let the diples drain on plates lined with paper towels before moving on to the next step. Traditionally these rolled cookies are submerged in a bath of honey and water boiled together. But, to keep the crisp and airy texture we are skipping this step.

To make these diples extra special we are filling them with a vanilla cream light enough to match the diples’ airy texture. The filling is just some vanilla, heavy cream, softened cream cheese, and some powdered sugar.

Despite the short ingredient list, this filling brings a wonderful flavor to the diples. You can also simply drizzle with honey and top with nuts to keep these closer to the classic recipe- and a dash of cinnamon is another option. Any way you finish them, these Cream-Filled Greek Diples are irresistable cookies that will have everyone reaching for seconds.