Can’t get enough of the rich, buttery flavor of Greek Christmas cookies? Here’s another recipe to indulge courtesy of our friend Natalia, aka “The Greek Glutton”. Melomakarona are first made with honey, cinnamon, and cloves. Then, the cookies soaked in a honey-orange syrup and topped with brown sugar and walnuts. Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients – the steps are simple and the results divine!
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: around 70 minutes
Servings: around 30
Ingredients for the syrup:
1 ⅔ cups sugar
2 cups water
½ cup honey
½ cinnamon stick (ground cinnamon works too)
1 strips of orange peel
Ingredients for the dough:
3 cups flour
½ cup olive oil
½ stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup sugar
¾ cups orange juice
2 teaspoons. ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
Zest from ½ an orange
Ingredients for the topping:
½ cup walnuts, finely ground
⅙ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 300°F.
2. In a pot bring the sugar, water, honey, orange peel and cinnamon to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Allow it to cool and place it in the fridge.
Photo by Natalia Alexander
3. Meanwhile, combine the sugar, olive oil and butter in a large bowl until fully incorporated. Add the orange juice, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, and orange zest and mix. Gradually add the flour until the dough becomes soft, but not sticky.
Photo by Natalia Alexander
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form each cookie into a small oval and place on the parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes.
Photo by Natalia Alexander
5. Meanwhile, make the topping by combining the walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves.
Photo by Natalia Alexander
6. Once the cookies are slightly cooled, soak them in the cold syrup (1/3 of the batch at a time) for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to coat all the sides.
Photo by Natalia Alexander
7. Take the cookies out, sprinkle them with the topping and enjoy!
Tip: Since these cookies are made without eggs, you can store them in a fridge for up to a month. Place them in a sealed container with syrup and topping to keep them moist. Or you can easily half the recipe!