Melomakarona

Name: Melomakarona
Cook time: 95 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 40 servings
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 600g All-purpose Flour; 200g Fine Semolina; 120g Granulated Sugar; 250ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 150ml Vegetable Oil, neutral (e.g., sunflower); 200ml Orange Juice, fresh; 2 whole oranges of Orange Zest, finely grated; 30ml Brandy; 2 tsp Baking Powder; 1 tsp Baking Soda; 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon; 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves; 1/4 tsp Salt, fine; 500ml Water; 700g Granulated Sugar; 200g Honey, Greek; 2 sticks of Cinnamon Stick; 4 Cloves; 1 whole orange of Orange Peel, large strips, no white pith; 200g Walnuts, finely chopped; 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon; Some Ground Cloves

Melomakarona are tender, fragrant Greek honey cookies soaked in a spiced syrup and finished with crunchy walnuts — a perfect balance of citrus, warm spices, and sticky sweetness. Their crisp edges give way to a soft, moist center that soaks up fragrant honey syrup, making them irresistible with coffee or as a holiday treat.

Melomakarona are tender, fragrant Greek honey cookies soaked in a spiced syrup and finished with crunchy walnuts — a perfect balan... Show more

Traditional Greek Recipe

Health Grade

E · Indulgent

Rating

4.3

Time

1 hr30 min

Price

0,28 €

Calories

289 kcal

vegetarian

kid friendly

comfort food

potluck

Method

Make the syrup

Peel one orange into large strips, avoiding the white pith, for the orange peel. Combine the water, granulated sugar, Greek honey, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and orange peel in a medium saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, then simmer for 5 minutes until the syrup is clear and fragrant. Use a slotted spoon to fish out the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and peel, then let the syrup cool completely for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven

Set the oven to 350° F and let it fully preheat with a rack in the middle.

Mix the dry ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, fine semolina, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and salt until the spices and leaveners are evenly mixed.

Whisk the wet base

In another large bowl, whisk the sugar for the dough with the extra virgin olive oil and neutral vegetable oil until glossy and slightly emulsified. Scrub and dry the oranges you'll use for the dough, then finely grate enough zest to measure the orange zest and juice them for the orange juice. Whisk in the zest, juice, and brandy until the mixture smells bright and citrusy.

Rest the dough

Pour the dry mixture into the wet bowl and stir until a soft dough forms, then use your hands to bring it together gently. The dough should feel rich and oily, not stiff. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes so the semolina can hydrate and the texture becomes easier to shape.

Shape the cookies

Pinch off about 1 tablespoon of dough at a time and roll it into small oval cookies, about 3–4 cm long. Place them on the baking sheets with a little space between each one, then press the tops lightly with a fork to make shallow ridges.

Bake the cookies

Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the cookies are set and deeply golden on the outside. The bottoms should be a rich caramel color, but the cookies should still feel tender rather than hard. Let them sit just long enough to handle without breaking.

Dip and top

While the cookies bake, finely chop the walnuts and mix them with the ground cinnamon and ground cloves reserved for the topping in a shallow bowl. Dip the warm cookies, one or two at a time, into the cold syrup for about 10 seconds per side, then lift them out and let the excess drip off. Finish by sprinkling the walnut mixture over each cookie while the syrup is still tacky.