It’s Christmas tiiiiiiiiiime!! CHRISTMAAAAS!!
I cannot begin to describe how excited I am during this season! My joy is ridiculous!!
To top that joy I made melomakarona! Sounds Greek to you? Well, it is!
Melomakarona are traditional Christmas cake-like cookies, wonderfully spiced and soaked in a honey-based syrup. They are sweet, delicious and addictive!
You will not find a house without melomakarona during the holidays!
Plus, in case you are interested, they are dairy-free!
Preheat the oven to 160ºC (320ºF).
In a large bowl combine the oils, sugar, cinnamon, brandy, clove powder and the orange peel.
Put the orange juice in a cup and drop the soda inside mixing very well on top of the bowl. It will immediately start foaming.
Pour it in the oil mixture and mix. Add the already combined flour/baking powder and mix with a whisk or your hands. Don’t over-do it. You don’t want all the oil to be released from the batter.
Take small portions of the dough (the size of a walnut) and form the cookies. Using a fork or cheese grater pinch the top. This will help them to soak better later.
Place on an oven tray lined with parchment paper. No need to leave big spaces between them. They grow and expand but just a bit.
Bake for about 30min, until they get a nice golden color.
In the meantime, prepare the honey syrup by adding all the ingredients in a pot and boiling for about 3min.
When you take them out of the oven, place them in a tray and pour some warm syrup on top of them. Let them sit for about 1-2min and turn them over. Add some more syrup if it’s necessary. Let them for another 1-2min and remove them on a plate.
Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top. And this is it!
If there is leftover syrup after you have soaked all of them, pour a bit around on top of them.
They are a bit crunchy on the outside and deliciously soft inside!
And since it’s Christmas, and it’s a happy season, here is a smiling melomakarono for you!! Did you spot it??
Have a nice day and
☆Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!☆
Ingredients
(Recipe from Argiro – in Greek)
For the cookies
1 cup (240g) of olive oil
1 cup (240g) of vegetable oil (I used from corn)
3 tbsps (50ml) cognac (brandy)
½ cup and 3 tbsps (160ml) orange juice
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup (200g) of sugar, white granulated
1 tsp clove powder
2 tsps cinnamon
Peel from 2 oranges, not waxed
9 cups (900g) all-purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
Chopped walnuts for sprinkling
For the honey-syrup
2 cups (400g) of sugar, white granulated
1¼ cups (400g) of honey, good quality, the final taste is largely based on this! (if you find thyme honey it is ideal)
1¾ cups (approx. 400g) of water
½ lemon, not waxed
Quick Instructions
Preheat the oven to 160ºC (320ºF). In a large bowl combine the oils, sugar, cinnamon, brandy, clove powder and the orange peel. Put the orange juice in a cup and drop the soda inside mixing very well on top of the bowl. It will immediately start foaming. Pour it in the oil mixture and whisk. Add the already combined flour/baking powder and mix with a whisk or your hands. Don’t over-mix it.
Take small portions of the dough (the size of a walnut) and form the cookies. Using a fork or cheese grater pinch the top. Place on an oven tray lined with parchment paper. No need to leave big spaces between them. They grow and expand but just a bit.
Bake for about 30min, until they get a nice golden color.
In the meantime, prepare the honey syrup by adding all the ingredients in a pot and boiling for about 3min.
When you take them out of the oven, place them in a tray and pour some warm syrup on top of them. Let them sit for about 1-2min and turn them over. Add some more syrup if it’s necessary. Let them for another 1-2min and remove them on a plate. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top.
If there is leftover syrup after you have soaked all of them, pour a bit around on top of them on the plate.
Notes: -The soaking is the most important part when trying to make melomakarona. Some people say that it’s best to let them cool completely and dip them in hot syrup. I have tried everything and I find that hot syrup with hot cookies works very well. I believe that if the dough has been prepared correctly, mixed carefully without over-working it, then they will soak in the syrup anyway!
-You can dip them in the pot with the syrup in batches, rotate them and remove them.
-They don’t need to be stored in the fridge, because they have no dairy product inside.
-There is also a chocolate covered variety. Up to you.
