One of my favorite holiday cookies! 😍
Melomakarona recipe (Greek Christmas Honey Cookies)
[Brief history]
Melomakarona means "Honey-Blessed" cookies! They are also called "Finikia" (Phoenician) cookies. Originating in Minor Asia, they are a widely popular dessert that was adopted by Greeks, Turks, and Armenians, as a Christmas offering to their guests.
Author: Eli K. Giannopoulos
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 50 pieces 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Baked
Cuisine: Greek
Description
A traditional melomakarona recipe! These Greek Christmas honey cookies (melomakarona) are super quick to bake, so much fun to make, and highly addictive!
Ingredients
For the melomakarona
150 g fine semolina (5.3 ounce, 1/2 cup)
500 g flour (soft) (18 ounce, 4 cup)
1/2 tbsp baking powder
100 g orange juice (3.5 ounce, 1/3 cup)
3 tbsps cognac
100 g sugar (3.5 ounce, 1/3 cup)
1 flat tbsp powdered cinnamon
1/3 tsp nutmeg (powder)
1/3 tsp clove (powder)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp baking soda
90 g water (3.2 ounce, 1/3 cup)
125 g olive oil (4.4 ounce, 1/2 cup)
125 g vegetable/sunflower oil (4.4 ounce, 1/2 cup)
50 g honey (1.8 ounce, 3 tbsp)
zest of 2 oranges
For the syrup
300 g water (10 ounce, 1 1/4 cup)
600 g sugar (20 ounce, 2 3/4 cup)
2 cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves
1 orange, cut in half
200 g honey (7 ounce, 10 tbsp)
To garnish
200 g chopped walnuts (7 ounce, 1 2/3 cup)
powdered cinnamon (optional)
powdered clove (optional)
Instructions
To prepare this melomakarona recipe, start by making the syrup first. In a pot, add all the ingredients for the syrup, besides the honey, and bring to the boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes until the sugar has dissolved, then remove from the stove. Stir in the honey and set aside to cool completely.
Prepare the dough for the melomakarona. Add the semolina, flour, and baking powder to a bowl and mix with a whisk to combine.
In another large bowl, add the orange juice, the cognac, the sugar, and spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, vanilla) and mix. Add the baking soda and whisk immediately for 5-10 seconds until the ingredients combine and the baking soda dissolves and starts to foam. Pour in the bowl the water, the oil, the orange zest and honey and whisk to combine.
Now, it’s time to combine the two mixtures. Add the mixed flour, semolina, and baking powder (from Step 2) to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients from Step 3 and start kneading the dough for the melomakarona. Knead the dough for the melomakarona using your hands until the ingredients combine and the dough is smooth, soft, and slightly sticky. Be careful not to overwork the dough, as it will become tough.
Preheat the oven to 180C / 356F. Layer the bottom of four large baking trays with parchment paper and start shaping the melomakarona. Pinch a portion of dough about the size of a walnut—30g / 1oz—and shape with your palms into a smooth oblong shape, like a small egg. Place on the baking tray, push lightly the top with a fork, and pierce three times on top about halfway through the dough. Continue with the rest of the dough.
Depending on how large your oven is, when your first two trays are ready, you can start baking them. Place the baking trays with the melomakarona in the oven and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes, until the melomakarona are lightly and evenly browned and cooked through. If you’ve made them bigger, you’ll need to bump up the cooking time!!
When the melomakarona come out of the oven, dip them immediately in the cold syrup, flipping them with a slotted spoon to absorb the syrup for approximately 10-20 seconds, depending on how syrupy you like them. Remove the cookies using a slotted spoon, place them on a platter, and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
While you dip your first couple of trays in the syrup, add the next two to the oven to bake. Don’t forget to set your timer!!
Store the melomakarona at room temperature in an airtight container. They will keep it for all your Christmas Holidays!
Nutrition
Serving Size: 1 piece
Calories: 195kcal
Sugar: 20.4g
Sodium: 39.4mg
Fat: 7.6g
Saturated Fat: 2.6g
Unsaturated Fat: 4.5g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 31.2g
Fiber: 0.9g
Protein: 2.1g
Cholesterol: 0m
I have had these! They are wonderful, I do prefer Baclava if I were to eat this type of food ever again 😉