Melomakarona – Honey cookies

Traditionally, these honey-bathed cookies, with walnuts and cinnamon, were made during the holiday season of Christmas and New Year.   However, we love them so much that we make them year round.

Melomakarona – Honey cookies

Makes:  about 45 - 50

Ingredients:

• 6 - 8 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cupof orange juice
• 2 glasses of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoonful of cinnamon and ground cloves
• 1 ½ teaspoonful of soda
• 1/3 cup of brandy
• Orange zest

Syrup:

• 2 cups of sugar
• 2 cups of honey
• 3 cups of water
• Orange peel
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 - 4 cloves
  

For sprinkling on top

• 2 glasses of pounded walnuts
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 spoonful sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Beat the olive oil with sugar very well, on full speed, about 10 minutes. Dissolve the soda in the orange juice together with the brandy and add to the mixture.
2. Mix cinnamon and cloves with the flour and add to fluid mixture a little at a time. If you have a grinder, grind the cloves and cinnamon yourselves and you will get extra aroma. Add the orange zest and knead until a soft, fluffy dough is made. The mixture must have an oily consistency but should not stick on the hands.
3. Take a small piece of the mixture, about the size of a big walnut, and give it an oval shape about 1 cm thick. To make a pattern on top we usually press them on a box grater to get the pattern.Place on parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven (180^ο C) for about thirty minutes or until the bottom side is golden brown.
4. In the meantime prepare the syrup by placing in a pan the sugar, water, honey, cinnammon, cloves and orange peel.  Bring to boiling point skimming if needed. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes. Before the cookies cool down, dip them in the syrup for a few seconds and then with a slotted ladle remove into a platter. Finally pound the walnuts and add cinnamon and sesame seeds and sprinkle on top of the cookies.

Tags: Christmas, cookies and biscuits, Greek, μελομακάρονα, melomacarona, Melomakarona, Traditional