Melomakarona (Christmas Honey cookies)

Melomakarona (Christmas Honey cookies)

Sweet and delicious!

Melomakarona are one of the favorite traditional Christmas sweets in Cyprus for kids and adults. 

Prep time

Cook time

Total time

Difficulty Degree

Serves

20 minutes

30 minutes

50 minutes

Easy

25-30 melomakarona

Ingredients for the dough:

  • 600gr. all purpose wheat flour
  • 120 gr. olive oil
  • 120 gr. sunflower oil
  • 50 gr. unsalted cow butter melted
  • 200 gr. fresh orange juice
  • 20 gr. icing sugar
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ½ sp. ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. ground cloves
  • zest from 1 orange
  • 200 gr. walnuts in pieces

For the syrop:

  • 250 gr. water
  • 300 gr. sugar
  • 1 cinammon stick
  • 150 gr. honey
  • 1 orange halved

Preparation:
1.Put in a casserole all the ingredients for the syrop and bring to a boil until sugar and honey dissolved for 3-4 minutes. Set aside and leave it to cool.
2.In a mixer bowl put the olive oil, butter, sunflower oil, orange juice and icing sugar. Add the orange zest, cinnamon, cloves and the baking powder. Using the ‘k’ attachment of the mixer mix on low speed for 1 minute. Put the flour and mix lightly until a soφt dough has formed.



3.Give an oval shape to the melomakarona by putting in the middle 2-3 walnut pieces and put them in a baking tray with non stick baking paper.
4.Bake on 180°C preheated oven for 30 minutes. Take them out of the oven and dip them one by one in the cold syrop for about 1 minute to absorb the syrop. Put them on a rack to drain and put on a serving platter.


5.Drizzle with honey and garnish with walnuts.

Tip of the Chef

It is important not to work the dough too much, otherwise will become hard.

 

Tip of the Nutritionist

Instead of icing sugar you may use powder of Stevia-natural sweetener.

Anyone for gluten-free melomakarona? Just replace the wheat flour with gluten-free flour, follow my recipe and you will have amazing fresh homemade and gluten-free melomakarona!