Melomakarona
These Greek cookies, scented with warm spices like cinnamon and cloves, are traditionally served around Christmas. The dough, made with semolina flour and olive oil, has a tender, crumbly texture. Once baked, the cookies are soaked in an aromatic orange honey syrup which makes them even more delicious. Most recipes for melomakarona don’t call for salt so it's not included here. However, some call for brandy while others just add orange juice. Melomakarona keep well for a long time and can be prepared well in advance of serving. As an added bonus, they just happen to be egg- and dairy-free.
Equipment
- 1 Medium Saucepan For the syrup
- 2 Large Bowls One for wet/dry ingredients, one for soaking
- 1 Large Baking Sheet Lined with parchment
- 1 Fine-mesh Sieve For straining syrup
- 1 Slotted Spoon For soaking and transferring cookies
Ingredients
Main
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Zest of 1 orange peeled into strips with a vegetable peeler
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup fine semolina
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- For the honey orange syrup: Stir to combine the honey, sugar, whole cloves, cinnamon stick and orange zest with 1 1/3 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Set aside at room temperature until cooled completely, about 1 hour. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl; set aside.
- For the dough: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment.
- Whisk together the flour, semolina, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Whisk the olive oil, vegetable oil, sugar, orange juice, honey and 1/4 cup water in another large bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Add the dry ingredients and mix with your hands, without overworking the dough, until slightly sticky but soft and smooth.
- Grab about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the dough (about 1 ounce) and form it into an oval-shape cookie about 1/2 inch thick. Press the top of the cookie gently on a wire rack to create a diamond pattern then place it, pattern-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Bake until the cookies are lightly brown, about 25 minutes. Immediately transfer one cookie at a time to the cooled honey orange syrup, flipping a couple of times with a slotted spoon, just until absorbed and fully coated, 5 to 10 seconds. Use the slotted spoon to transfer the cookies to a serving platter.
- For the topping: Immediately sprinkle the chopped walnuts over the soaked cookies.
Notes
Ensure the syrup is completely cooled before soaking the hot cookies; the temperature contrast is key for proper absorption without disintegration. Do not overwork the dough when combining wet and dry ingredients; mix just until combined for a tender texture. The soaking time in the syrup is brief (5-10 seconds per side) to prevent the cookies from becoming too soggy. Using a mix of olive and vegetable oil provides a good balance of flavor and tenderness. Pressing the pattern with a wire rack is traditional but optional; the cookie's shape is most important.