Traditional Greek Honey Cookies (Melomakarona)
Indulge in the delightful experience of making Traditional Greek Honey Cookies (Melomakarona). These cookies are a festive staple, showcasing a soft, crumbly texture infused with warm spices and the refreshing zest of orange. Soaked in a luscious honey syrup and topped with crunchy walnuts, they are perfect for sharing with loved ones during the holiday season or any cozy gathering. Easy to make and incredibly versatile, these cookies will fill your home with inviting aromas and leave your taste buds wanting more. Whether you enjoy them as a dessert or gift them to friends, each bite will transport you to Greece. Embrace the spirit of the holidays and let’s get baking!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Approximately 24 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients
Scale
- 125 ml fresh orange juice
- 250 grams / 8.8 oz olive oil (or half olive oil half sunflower oil for lighter flavor)
- 50 grams / 1.7 oz honey
- 80 ml water
- 100 grams (½ cup) sugar
- 1 + ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground clove
- ⅓ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon vanillin powder or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest from 1 orange
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 125 grams (⅔ cup + 1 tbsp) fine semolina
- 550 grams (4 + ⅔ cup) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 400 grams (2 cups) sugar for syrup
- 100 grams / 3.5 oz honey for syrup
- 325 ml (1⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon) water for syrup
- 1 stick of cinnamon for syrup
- 4–5 dried cloves for syrup
- Peel from 1 orange for syrup
- Honey for drizzling
- Ground walnuts for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix olive oil, sugar, orange juice, honey, and water until well combined.
- Sift together flour, semolina, baking powder, baking soda, and spices; gently fold into the wet mixture.
- Shape dough into oval balls and place on prepared sheets.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
- While cookies bake, prepare syrup by boiling sugar, water, honey, cinnamon stick, cloves, and orange peel for 10 minutes.
- Immediately dip baked cookies in warm syrup for one minute on each side.
- Let cool slightly before drizzling with honey and sprinkling with walnuts.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 112
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 5mg
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg