Get the recipe here: https://www.dimitrasdishes.com/classic-melomakarona-with-semolina-greek-christmas-cookies/
Ingredients
For the Syrup:
1 and 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 and 1/4 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
peel of an orange
1 cup honey
The Cookie Dough Dry Ingredients:
3 and 1/2 cups (500g) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (150g) fine semolina flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
the zest of 2 oranges
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
For the Cookie Dough Wet Ingredients:
1 cup (250ml) light olive oil or veg. oil
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup (185 ml) fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
For the Topping:
3/4 cup ground walnuts
1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
Make the Syrup: In a saucepan combine the sugar, water, cinnamon, and orange peel. Bring to a boil and as soon as the sugar dissolves add the honey. Remove from the heat, stir and set aside to cool.
Make the Dough: Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk them together.
In another bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients and whisk together.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the bowl. Gently mix together until a dough has formed. Do not over-mix or the cookies will become oily.
Form the Cookies: Take a piece of dough (walnut-sixed, about 35-40g) and roll it in your hands. Form it into an oval and then press the tips in so that they are rounded and they don’t burn.
Place the dough on the prepared baking trays and then flatten the tops a bit. Pierce the top of each cookie with a fork to create a decorative pattern (see video).
Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden and crisp.
Using a slotted spoon immediately dip the hot cookies (about 4-5 at a time) into the cool syrup. Let them soak for 20-25 seconds flipping them over a-few times.
Transfer the cookies to a serving tray and pour the remaining syrup on top.
Combine all of the topping ingredients into a small bowl and mix them together. Sprinkle over the cookies and serve!
Kali Orexi.
Notes
The cookies will keep fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.
Music Used:
Greek Sun Time (With Intro)
ITEM ID: 66582698
By: tonyanthony
Its All Greek
ITEM ID: 84456733
By: LowNotes
source
thank you ❤
Very concise and good recipe, they turned out good!!! Thanks Dimitra.
The cookie is dry.
Never follow a white woman's recipe ever again.
and im greek.
Trade mailloux? We dont have a single decent right handed defensemen on this team beside him and they’re impossible to aquire through trades . Trading mailloux for cozen is as dumb as it gets
Thank you Dimitria ,I saw you last year, super,God bless 🙏🕊️🫶❤️ buon natale …
Exferisto agapi mou!!!!!! Poli Kala!!
Can these cookies be frozen?
These look so yummy I have to make them this year! Alternatively, could you also press the cookies up side down into a bowl of chopped walnuts? I’ll be transporting these and want to minimize losing the topping.
Thank you for sharing your culture !
Perfect! 🎉
Divino
If you have to make them ahead of time, can I heat the syrup and dunk the cold melomakarona? I know you’re supposed to do it the other way around, but can’t do so for this batch. Worried that they won’t soak liquid properly…
I made them today for our Orthodox Easter this Sunday, they came out amazing…I made them for Christmas as well, greetings from Australia Dimitar and Kalo Pascha🙏
👍🏻👍🏻
I like to eat them with ice cream, but I also like them just by themselves.
🙂
😂😂😂 dissolve…not dilute…lol
My favourite cookie ❤
Hey dimitra. I want to put them in the cupcake cups do I place them immediately in the cupcake cups or should I let them sit for a while?
This is amazing! I’m baking for someone with a citrus allergy. Do you think apple skin/juice would be a good substitute for the orange zest and juice? Thanks ❤
I'm going to attempt these for the first time this year but I'm pretty sure you can add cognac or brandy but not sure how much of it please? If anyone can let me know, much appreciated. Thank you! 😊
Are you hands oiled while
You roll?
Hi there…could I use juice from mandarins instead of oranges? I have a tree full outside …
I made these cookies and they are awesome! I’ve eaten many and I like your recipe as well as my Aunt’s recipe. I had one problem, the cookies soaked up so much syrup they were wet, tasted great, but wet. The first batch I soaked for longer than 20 sec. The second batch soaked for 20 seconds. I loosen the flour before using so it’s not packed. The dough was pliable and not sticky at all. I don’t remember them being soggy, is this normal? Thanks, Mary
Cooking honey lowers its quality, and it loses essential enzymes and nutrients. So add the honey when you take it off the heat. Good job Dimitra!!!!
The best recipe fhos are so delicious omg with a cold glass of milk is like what else can I ask for ..wow thanks so much ❤
I made these today, nearly the same,but added a little butter with oil and a few crushed walnuts to mixture!: Mine were delicious and hubby loved them, but they are very delicate and i think i left them in syrup a bit too long as my first few fell apart, and then i dipped them for a shorter time and this helped! 💕
I have three recommendations for your great recipe … which I make myself for all festive occasions.
First, do not dip the Melomacarona into hot syrup they will crumble and fall apart when you dip them in hot syrup. dip them in cool syrup
Second, If you brush some honey on the Melomacarona the chopped walnuts will stick better !
Third, add some orange-based brandy (Grand Marnier liquer) to the cooled-down syrup because the heating in the oven will destroy (remove) the orange juice flavours!
As for the name Melomacarona: it is derived from the words Meli (Honey in Greek) and Macaron (Pasta-like in Italian).
And the recipe was imported to the Ionian Sea Islands (Eptanysia) by the Venetians from the East Med. Sea, most likely from Lebanon.
I thought you were supposed to put the cooled biscuits in hot syrup
Μου τρέχουν λίγο τα σάλια…
The cookie looks way too dry , 10-15 seconds for each side is not enough. I soak mine for 2 minutes (30 gram cookie) and they taste similar to the store bought ones. Sorry but if it is not properly soaked it will not taste good 😐…..
omg! these look delicious! How did you learn to cook? Did you go to school or home taught? I would be happy to cook half as good as you, all recipes I've tried so far turned out great. Thanks for sharing your knowledge
4
My Pappou had always loved making these for the holidays until he unexpectedly passed in September (this year) and I as his Oldest granddaughter has to step in to make these for my family in honor of him. Couple years ago, him and I even made these for my bake sale as I worked at Old Navy in 2014. I miss and loves you Pappou Spiro! <3 <3
Helpp!! My first time making these cookies and my dough was very crumble-y – I couldn't roll them to form an oval without it falling apart. What did I do wrong ?? On a side note….they still tasted good aside from the way they looked lol
Oh yum. Can you please figure out how to make these gluten free? I miss them the very most.
Υασου Δήμητρα . Καλά Χριστούγεννα . I can’t wait to attempt this
can i use regular olive oil