Melomakarona – Greek Christmas honey cookies by Boost Eat

My second favourite Christmas cookies from Greece after Kourabiedes – Melomakarona. Rich in flavours of honey, hazelnut, cinnamon and cloves, these golden brown cookies are the quintessence of Greek home during Christmas time. Soaked in a honey syrup with cinnamon sticks and orange halves, they can move your sweet taste buds into another dimension. Sprinkled with chopped walnuts and then drizzled with honey drops.

INGREDIENTS:

Syrup for Melomakarona:

500g water

800g granulated sugar

150g honey

3 sticks cinnamon

3 cloves

1 orange cut in half

Melomakarona Dough:

400g orange juice

400g seed oil

180g olive oil

50g icing sugar

1/2 teaspoons cloves

2-3 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoons nutmeg

1 teaspoons baking soda

Orange zest from 2 oranges

1 kilo all-purpose flour

200g fine semolina

For topping:

Chopped walnuts

Honey

PREPARATION:

Start with the syrup preparation. Boil all of the ingredients for the syrup, except for the honey, until the sugar melts. Remove from heat. Add the honey and mix till all combined.
The best would be to let the syrup cool for 3-4 hours. It must be cold by the time the cookies come out from the oven. If you don’t have time put the covered syrup in the fridge. You can also prepare the syrup the day before.
Start preparation of the cookie dough. You need to prepare two separate mixtures.
For the first mixture you need to collect:

400 g orange juice
400 g seed oil
180 g olive oil
50 g icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon(s) cloves
2-3 teaspoon(s) cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon(s) nutmeg
1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
orange zest, of 2 oranges

Then, add all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix, using a hand whisk or electric whisk.

5. In a separate large bowl, add 1 kilo of all-purpose flour and 200g of fine semolina.

6. Combine both mixtures together. Once they are homogenized mix them well by hand. You need to mix it gently and for a short period of time (10 – 15 seconds).

7. Pre-heat the oven to 190C (370F) set to fan.

8. Start moulding cookies. The best is to shape 30g of dough into egg-shaped forms.

9. Bake the cookies for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Remove them from the oven while still hot and soak them in a cold syrup for 10 seconds each. Then drain them on the wire wrack. Last but not least, drizzle them with honey and walnut chops.