Melomakarona – Greek Traditional Christmas Dessert

Melomakarona is a Greek traditional dessert, prepared primarily during the Christmas holiday season. The main ingredients of melomakarona are flour, olive oil, orange juice and zest, sugar, honey, walnuts, Cinnamon, and cognac. Make these honey cookies and prepare your house to be filled with aromas and your mouth with a delicious dessert!

You are going to love them! Trust me 🙂

INGREDIENTS 

For the syrup

700g granulated sugar

500ml water

250g honey

2 cinnamon sticks

3 whole cloves

1 orange (cut in half)

For the melomakarona

240 ml olive oil

240 sunflower oil

Juice of 2 oranges

zest of one orange

100gr sugar

110ml cognac

1 Kgr all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

  2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

To serve

honey

shopped walnuts

METHOD

For the syrup

Boil all the ingredients, apart from honey, until sugar melts.

Remove from heat.

Add the honey and mix till combined.

Let the syrup cool for 2-3 hours. It must be cold by the time the melomakarona come out from the oven.

For the melomakarona

Preheat the oven to the 190C (370F) Fan

Add all the ingredients except the flour, to a large bowl and mix using a hand whisk.

Add the flour and mix by hand very gently and for a very short time (15 seconds) because if you mix longer the mixture will split.

Mold melomakarona dough into very small oval or round shapes (about 2-3 cm in length each).

Bake until they are dark golden brown and crunchy (about 25 minutes).

Remove them from the oven and soak them immediately into the cold syrup for 10 seconds (the syrup must be cold and the melomakarona must be hot).

Drain them on a wire rack.

Drizzle with honey and chopped walnuts.

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

xoxo

Melomakarona – Greek Traditional Dessert