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–+ servings
melomakarona greek christmas honey cookies on a plate
5 from 1 vote

Melomakarona - Traditional Greek Christmas Honey Cookies

Melomakarona are the classic Greek Christmas cookies — soft, spiced olive oil cookies soaked in fragrant honey syrup and topped with crushed walnuts. A beloved holiday tradition from every Greek household.
Servings 40 cookies
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Equipment

Ingredients

Cookie Mix

  • 8 cup All Purpose Flour
  • ½ cup Semolina Flour
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 2 piece Whole Orange Just the zest
  • 1 cup Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
  • 2 cup Vegetable Oil Neutral Flavored Oil
  • 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cold Pressed is best
  • 4 tsp Baking Powder Sifted into the flour
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda Dissolve this in the Orange Juice
  • 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 tbsp Ground Cinnamon Add to wet mixture for authenticity
  • 1 tbsp Ground Clove Add to wet mixture for authenticity
  • ½ cup Cognac or Brandy + another 1/2 for the Chef
  • 1 cup Freshly Ground Walnuts

Syrup

  • 2 cup Water
  • 2 cup Sugar
  • 2 whole Cinnamon Sticks
  • 5 whole Cloves
  • ½ whole Orange Place the whole half in the syrup while boiling
  • 1 Cup Honey Only add after the syrup is cooling
  • 1 tsp Lemon Juice Fresh Squeeze

Instructions

Make the batter

  • In a bowl combine orange zest, olive oil, vegetable oil, Sugar and whisk well till sugar dissolves.
    ingredients for greek honey cookies including olive oil orange and cognac
  • Add cognac or brandy, vanilla extract, cinnamon and cloves and whisk till ingredients mix well.
    mixing melomakarona dough with olive oil, orange zest, and cognac
  • Add baking soda to orange juice dissolve and add to mixture.
    shaping melomakarona dough on a grater
  • Set aside
  • Add baking powder to flour and whisk together till ingredients blend.
  • Then incorporate flour to wet mixture, leaving about 1/2 cup aside to add to mixture if needed not to over stiffen dough.
  • Then dough consistency should be silky not sticky and do not over knead the dough.

Form the cookies

  • Then using a grater, find the smallest hole side of the grater, roll about a 2 oz dough into a ball, then roll it into a rectangular shape and place on grater.
    pressing melomakarona dough into traditional Greek Christmas cookie shape
  • With your index finger press down open a channel in the center of the dough.
    sealing the back of melomakarona cookie before baking
  • Fill with ground walnuts and close the back of the dough squeezing it together, forming your cookie shape.
    fork-scoring the surface of melomakarona cookies before baking
  • Roll 180 degrees off the grater onto a 1/2 sheet pan.
  • Place in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees till golden brown.
    melomakarona cookies arranged on a silpat baking mat ready for the oven

Make the syrup

  • In a sauce pan add the cold water and the sugar.
  • Give it a whisk to dissolve sugar, add cinnamon sticks, cloves, lemon juice and halved orange
  • Place on stove top, bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Set aside.
  • Add cookies to warm syrup for about 5 minutes.
    traditional melomakarona recipe soaked in honey syrup with walnuts
  • Once the cookies have absorbed all they could, remove cookie, place on a wire rack, and let the extra syrup run off.
  • Sprinkle with ground walnuts.
    freshly baked melomakarona greek christmas honey cookies soaked in honey syrup with walnuts

Notes

The melomakarona (Greek: μελομακάρονα, melomakarona) is an egg-shaped Greek dessert made mainly from flour, olive oil, and honey. The Greek traditional Christmas cookie. Feel free to send a message for custom recipes for your needs or questions.
Author: Nikolaos Saragias
Calories: 190kcal
Course: Dessert, Holiday
Cuisine: Greek
Keyword: Greek Christmas cookies, Greek honey cookies, holiday cookies, melomakarona, melomakarona recipe, olive oil cookies, traditional Greek dessert

Nutrition

Calories: 190kcal