Name: Melomakarona : the traditional Greek Christmas Cookies
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 3 h 25 min
Yield: 100
Ingredients: 1,5 cup olive oil; 1,5 cup sunflower oil; 1 cup sugar; 1,5 cup orange juice; orange zest; 1.5 tsp cinnamon; 1 tsp cloves; 1.5 tsp baking soda; 50 ml cognac; 350 g semolina; 2 kg flour; 2 cup water; 1,5 cup honey; 2,5 cup sugar; 1 stick cinnamon; 2 orange peels; 2 cups walnut; 2 tbsp sugar; 2 tsp cinnamon

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Melomakarona : the traditional Greek Christmas Cookies

Author: Kallisti Cooking Method: Baking Cuisine: Greek Course: Sweets Recipe Keys: Dairy Free Egg Free Kids Vegan Vegetarian

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 60 mins Cook Time 25 mins Rest Time 2 hrs Total Time 3 hrs 25 mins

Cooking Temp: 190 C Servings: 100 Calories: 188 kcal per cookie

Best Season: Winter

Instructions

Prepare the syrup: In a deep pot, heat water and sugar over medium heat for 5 minutes (from the moment it starts to boil), stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Add honey and mix until combined. Let the syrup cool down for 2 hours.

The syrup must be cold by the time the cookies come out from the oven.
Mix the oil and sugar using a hand whisk. Dissolve the baking soda into 1/2 cup of orange juice. Add all ingredients except flour and semolina into a large bowl. Mix gently, using a hand whisk. Mix 1,5 kg of the flour with the semolina in a separate bowl.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients, kneading gently with your hands for a short time until a soft dough forms.

If the dough is too wet, adjust with the flour you set previously aside.
Preheat oven (190 °C fan). Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper. Shape the dough into oval cookies , 3-4 cm long, about 30 g each. Use a spider utensil to make the traditional pattern on the upper side of each cookie.
Place cookies on the baking sheet and bake on the lower rack for 20-25 mins until golden brown . Remove from oven.

Soak the hot cookies, using the spider utensil, in the cold syrup for 15 seconds (counting aloud from 1 to 16!). Remove and allow them to drain on a wire rack for some minutes. Arrange on a serving platter.

Repeat the steps 4 to 6 until all the dough is done.