Melomakarona (μελομακάρονα)

Greeks like to have an array of sweets, cookies, appetizers out for offering to the revolving door guests during the Christmas holidays.

I've already shown you Kourabiedes and now you get to see the other standard offering, Melomakarona. I'm sure you can read the ingredients list but here are the flavour tags for this simple cookie...orange, walnut, honey, clove, cinnamon....a party in the mouth!



Melomakarona (μελομακάρονα)
(makes 100)

10 cups pastry flour
3 cups vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. honey
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup orange juice
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup walnuts (roughly pounded)
zest of 1 orange
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground clove

1. Into a large bowl, add the zest, honey, sugar and use your hand to mix all the ingredients.
2. Pour in the orange juice, cloves, cinnamon and mix well (again with your hands).
3. Add the eggs and mix well.
4. Combine the flour with the baking powder and baking soda and then add your dry ingredients to the wet. Once again, mix well with your hands.
5. Using your hands, roll the dough into small balls (about the size of apricots), then form them into quenelle shapes.
6. Take your box grater (the side used to zest) and place a cookie on top of it. Press the cookie down a bit to form a grid pattern on the top of the cookie. Repeat this process for all the cookies.
7. Place your cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in a pre-heated oven (middle rack) for 30 minutes.

Syrup Coating

2 cups of sugar
2 cups honey
2 cups water

1. To make the syrup, add all three ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Using a large slotted spoon or Spider, drop the cookies in batches into the syrup for 3 minutes to absorn the syrup. Reserve on a cooling rack and repeat until all the cookies are dunked in syrup.

Walnut Topping

6 Tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground clove

1. Add the above ingredients in a bowl mix well with a spoon.
2. Brush each cookie with the remaining syrup and then sprinkle each cookie top with the walnut topping. Allow to cool.
3. Store in a cool, dry container for up to 6 weeks.

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