Traditional Greek Honey Cookies (Melomakarona)

Traditional Greek Honey Cookies (Melomakarona)

christmas, Oven baked

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 30 cookies

Calories: 267kcal

Ingredients

For The Cookie Dough:

• 125 ml freshly squeezed orange juice

• 125 ml olive oil
• 125 sunflower oil
• 50 ml honey
• 80 ml water
• 100 grams sugar
• 5 grams ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• zest of half an orange
• 550 grams all purpose flour
• 125 grams fine semolina
• 6 grams baking powder

For The Syrup:

• 600 grams sugar
• 100 ml honey
• 450 ml water
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 4-5 dried cloves

For Garnish:

• extra honey
• chopped walnuts

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl combine flour, semolina and baking powder. Set aside.
• In another bowl add the remaining Cookie Dough ingredients and whisk well for 2 minutes. Untill everything is fully combined and the mixture starts to thicken.
• Pour over the flour mixture.
• Knead the dough with your hands untill everything combines and dough stops sticking on your hands.
• Cover dough with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge while you make the syrup.

For The Syrup:

• In a large and wide cooking pot add all of the ingredients for the syrup.
• Bring to a boil over high heat.
• Once it starts boiling, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.
• NOTE: Do not stir syrup. Just shake the pot a few times.

Make The Cookies:

• Preheat oven to 180°C / 356°F.
• Lay a parchment paper on your ovens pan.
• Take a piece of the dough in your hands (about 40-45 grams). Squeze it a bit to remove any air and knead to a round ball.
• Give the ball an oval shape and flatten it slightly. Add to the pan.
  
• Knead remaining dough into cookies the same way.
• With a sharp knife make criss cross lines on each cookie.
• Bake for aproximately 20 minutes or until cookies get a golden brown color.
  

Finish Off:

• Using a draining spoon dip the cookies into the syrup (about 5-6 cookies each time).
• Soak the cookies for about 1 minute on each side and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool and drain from excess syrup.
  
• Top them with honey and plenty of chopped walnuts.
  
• 

Notes

-The syrup should be warm but not hot when you dip in the cookies.

-Ideally, the nuts should contain both coarsely chopped pieces as well as fine ones.

These are two honey labels which I recommend. The first is a rare type of honey that is collected in Ikaria, Greece (the island that is famous for the longevity of its population). The second one is a more common type of honey, but of a good quality. Plus some quality Greek olive oil to use in these cookies.

Source : www.realgreekrecipes.com