Greek Honey Cookies (Melomakarona)
Melomakarona are Greek honey cookies that are popular at Christmas. They are mildly spiced and dipped in a thick honey syrup.
Servings 27 , approximately
Ingredients
For the honey syrup
- 1 orange, halved
- 1¼ cups water (310 ml)
- 1½ cups sugar (300 g)
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 whole cloves
- ⅔ cup good quality honey (165 ml)
For the cookie dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (500 g)
- ½ cup fine semolina flour (100 g)
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil (125 ml)
- ½ cup light vegetable oil (125 ml)
- ½ cup sugar (100 g)
- 3 tablespoons cognac or brandy (40 ml)
- ¼ teaspoon ground clove
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (180 ml)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- zest from 1 large orange
Topping
- ½ cup finely chopped walnuts (almost powder-like) (60 g)
Instructions
Make the honey syrup
- Place the halved orange in a medium saucepan along with the water, sugar, lemon juice, and spices. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the spices and orange halves, squeezing the oranges over the saucepan before discarding them.1 orange, halved, 1¼ cups water (310 ml), 1½ cups sugar (300 g) , 1½ tablespoons lemon juice, 2 cinnamon sticks, 6 whole cloves
- Pour in the honey and stir well. Put the syrup in the refrigerator.⅔ cup good quality honey (165 ml)
- Meanwhile, line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375 ° F (190 ° C), without a fan.
Make the cookie dough
- In a bowl, mix the all-purpose flour with the fine semolina flour. Set aside.4 cups all-purpose flour (500 g), ½ cup fine semolina flour (100 g)
- In another bowl, whisk together the oils, the sugar, the cognac, the spices, the orange juice, the zest, and the baking soda. Whisk everything together well so that the sugar is dissolved.½ cup extra virgin olive oil (125 ml), ½ cup light vegetable oil (125 ml), ½ cup sugar (100 g), 3 tablespoons cognac or brandy (40 ml) , ¼ teaspoon ground clove, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon, ¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (180 ml), zest from 1 large orange , 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Add the flour mixture. Use your hands to gradually bring everything together. Be gentle & don't overmix the dough! The dough should be very moist, it's not supposed to be dry or stiff. If it's too wet, add a bit more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until it comes together.
- Take a piece of dough and weigh it (40g / 1.4 oz each). If you don't have a digital scale, try to make each piece the same size, about the size of a large walnut (see the pictures in the post).
- Roll each piece of dough into a ball, then gently shape it into an oval and place on the baking sheets, about 1–2 inches apart. I fit about 16 on a large tray.
- Use a fork to prick the tops of each cookie, without going all the way through.
- Bake for 25–35 minutes, without a fan, until they’re evenly deep golden brown. I prefer baking them a bit longer for slightly darker cookies, as they absorb the syrup better and stay crisp on the outside while remaining soft inside.
Soak the cookies
- Take the syrup out of the refrigerator.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, work in batches of about 3 cookies (depending on the size of your saucepan) and immediately dunk them into the cold syrup, flipping them over. Let them soak for about 1 minute (I use the timer on my phone). Do not soak them longer, as they can become too soft and start to fall apart.
- Remove the cookies with a slotted spoon and place on a serving platter in a single layer. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
- Pour any extra syrup onto the bottom of the serving platter. The cookies will be even better the next day after they’ve had time to soak it up. For less sweetness, you can skip this step and store any extra syrup for another use.
- Top with the chopped walnuts.½ cup finely chopped walnuts (almost powder-like) (60 g)
- After they've cooled, store them in an airtight container (in a single layer) at room temperature for up to about 2 weeks. The cookies will gradually soften over the next few days as they absorb moisture from the syrup.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Picture Tutorial & Tips
I have a detailed picture tutorial in my post to help you out with each step of the recipe as well as lots of tips to ensure success.
Baking Measurements
I have used weight measurements for all the recipes on this website. Even though I have also included American volume measurements for convenience, I highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale to weigh all ingredients for the most accurate measurements. Digital kitchen scales are more precise than cups, which is so important in baking, and they give the most accurate, consistent results. Happy baking!
©Pastry Wishes
