Classic Melomakarona - Christmas cookies with honey and spices

Melomakarona is one of the most classic and popular Christmas sweet in Greece. There are variations depending on the region they come from and also the last decade or so more modern versions can be found like those which are dipped in chocolate. The most classic versions are the plain ones (like my mother's) and those which are stuffed with nuts - a variation that can be found mainly in the Islands. There are those made exclusively of flour and those made of a mixture of flour and semolina. What all the versions have in common though is the olive oil. What makes melomakarona special is the honeyed syrup mixture the cookies are dipped into and the texture that arises from that process. The dipped cookies are pretty soft, due to the syrup, but are not chewy. The finished melomakarono has sweetness from the honey and sugar, a little spice from the cinnamon and cloves, and a nice crunch from the walnuts. With such combination of ingredients no wonder why they are so popular

Ingredients (for about 40 pieces):

For the dough:
1 1/4 cups of olive oil (not extra virgin but a light one)
1/3 cup of sugar
1 orange, the zest
1 cup of orange juice
3–4 cups of all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp of baking powder
1 1/2 cups of fine semolina
1/2 cup of brandy
1 lemon, the zest
1 tsp of ground cloves
1 tsp of ground cinnamon

For the syrup:
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of honey
1 1/2 cups of water

For coating:
1 cup of walnuts, finely chopped
2 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 tsp of ground cloves

Method:
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and the sugar with an electric mixer until they blend well. Add the orange zest and the orange juice and beat again.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour along with the baking powder.

Gradually add the flour mixture into the oil mixture. Add the semolina, the brandy, the lemon zest, the cloves and the cinnamon and keep beating until you have a rough dough.

Take the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead with your hands. Add 1 cup or more of the flour, as needed, to achieve a smooth, soft and oily dough. Cover with some cling film and leave the dough to stand for about 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170°C-180°C (depending on the oven).

Take pieces of the dough (about a small egg size) and shape with your hands into ovals, about 5 1/2cm long. Gently slightly flatten each melomakarono and using a fork prick them on top here and there.

Place the melomakarona on ungreased oven pans with a space of about 2 1/2 cm between them so not to stick together while baking.

Put in the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes, depending on the oven and until they just start to get coloured.

When they are ready, take them out of the oven and transfer them onto racks to cool completely. The melomakarona are best dunked in the syrup after sitting out for several hours or overnight. If you dip them in the syrup when they are still hot they will break in pieces.

In a small bowl mix together the ingredients for the coating and leave aside. When the melomakarona are completely cooled, start making the syrup.

In a spacious sauté pan put together the sugar, the honey and the water and let them come to the boiling point. When the syrup is boiled for 1-2 minutes and it has thickened slightly, skim the foam off the top. Turn the heat to low and just keep the syrup warm.

Dip the cold melomakarona, in batches, in the syrup. Leave them in there for about a minute (not more because they will fall apart) and carefully remove them, a few at a time, with a slotted spatula. Transfer them on a baking dish lined with baking paper.

When you have finished with all the cookies transfer on spacious serving plates and sprinkle on top with the coating mixture.

You can store melomakarona in airtight containers and they should keep fresh for at least a month.