Greek traditional Christmas recipe of Melomakarona
Making melomakarona can be sometimes a little time consuming but they are worth it! You will not regret making them. It's no accident they are extremely popular here. If you like cinnamon and honey, you will definitely be addicted to these cookies. This is a recipe you will use each and every year around Christmas (and maybe not just then) . We honestly cannot emphasize enough that you must try melomakarona at least once in your lifetime! :) So let's see how to make them! Ingredients:
For the dough - 200g/7oz ( 1 cup) vegetable oil (we used sunflower oil) - 200g/7oz (1 cup) olive oil - 250ml (1 cup), orange juice - 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon clove powder - 3 teaspoons cinnamon powder - 110g/3.9oz (1/2 cup), sugar - 1 teaspoon orange zest - 100g/3.5oz (1/2 cup) semolina - 1kg/2.2lb/35oz all purpose flour
For the syrup - 625ml (2 ½ cups) water - 550g/19.4oz (2 ½ cups) sugar - 150g/5.3oz (1/2 cup) honey - 2 teaspoons (1 orange), orange zest - juice from half orange - 2 cinnamon sticks - 4 cloves For the topping - honey - coarsely crush walnuts It’s better to start with the syrup so that it will have the time to chill while we make and bake the dough. Better off, prepare it the night before. For the syrup
Place in a saucepan: the water, the sugar, the orange zest, the orange juice, the cinnamon sticks and the cloves and put it on medium to high heat. When it starts simmering, remove from heat and add the honey (pic. 3). Whisk until it dissolves. Leave the saucepan next to an open window to cool.
For the dough: Preheat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius / 390 Fahernheit. Place the ingredients for the dough in a large bowl, following the order given from the ingredients list. (see pictures).
Make sure to whisk well when you add the baking soda, for about 1 minute(pic. 4)to allow it to blend with the orange juice (pic. 5).
When you have added all the ingredients except the flour, remove the whisk and then add the flour on top. Mix gently with your hands, by “folding� the dough from bottom to top. No rush here. This way all ingredients will blend perfectly, creating a soft dough (like in pic.12). This kneading process should not take more than 2 minutes. The more you knead the less fluffy the dough gets. Line a baking sheet/pan with parchment paper.
Shape small oval cookies with your hands, in the size of your palm. (pic.13). Place them on a grinder on the side of the circular shapes, and slightly press them against the grinder, creating the decoration on top (pic. 14). You can also create a shape on the surface (like lines or a grid), using a fork (optional step). Place the cookies on the lined baking sheet, with a small distance between them (pic.15). The dough is enough for about 3 batches of cookies. Once the first batch is completed (there will be 4 lines with about 6 cookies on each line), put the baking sheet/pan in the oven in the middle rank. Bake for 30 minutes.
Once you remove the cookies from the oven, immediately dip them (using a slotted spoon) into the syrup for about 20 seconds to soak (pic.16). You can
dip up to 6 cookies at the same time. You have to be a little careful handling the cookies because they are hot. Place them on a wire rack to drain, for a few minutes (pic.17). Once drained, place them in a large plate. Drizzle with a bit more honey, using a small fork (pic.18) and add some crushed walnuts ( pic. 19, optional). Continue this exact process with the next batch of cookies until they are all baked and dipped into the syrup. Always remember, that the cookies must be placed in the syrup right after the come out of the oven. Enjoy! The recipe is from: http://www.littlecookingtips.com/content/greek-traditionalchristmas-cookies-melomakarona
Maglaridou Sofia, Greece