Description
Melomakarona is a Greek Christmas Cookie made with olive oil instead of butter and eggs, and a honey syrup with a walnut and cinnamon topping. This holiday cookie is great to make for any of your Christmas and New Year parties, dinners, or gifts for family and friends.
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Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Cookies:
- 2 cups EVOO
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brandy
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 orange's zest
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 7 1/2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
For the Syrup:
- 2 cups Lemon Honey
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 + 1/2 cup water
For the Topping:
- 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, brandy, orange juice, sugar, cinnamon, and orange peel. Stir until sugar is mostly dissolved.
- In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the olive oil mixture.
- Roll the dough in little balls about the size of a walnut. Press the balls on a grater flattening them like a small pancake. Carefully roll the dough off the grater so that the cookie is in an oval shape with the top having the design of the grater.1
- Place the cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake each batch for about 25 minutes. Cool on cooling racks.
- Once all the cookies are done, flip them so that the bottom part is facing up, and arrange them tightly in a one or more of the baking pans.
- For the syrup, bring the honey, sugar and water to a boil and boil for at least 5 minutes.
- While the syrup is hot, pour it over the cookies, making sure all cookies are covered with syrup. Let the cookies sit for at least 2-3 hours, preferably overnight, with the top side facing down so that they absorb the syrup2
- For the topping, mix the walnuts and cinnamon. Turn the melomakarona right side up again and sprinkle the topping over the cookies.
Notes
- This is done so that the honey will be better absorbed as opposed to just shaping the cookie in a solid oval shape.
- Leave soaking over night. They don’t get soggy
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: dessert, holiday
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean
