Equipment
Ingredients
Syrup
- 240 ml water
- 400 g granulated sugar
- 200 g honey
- 1 orange, halved
- 1 cinnamon stick
Wet Dough Ingredients
- 120 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 120 ml vegetable oil
- 120 ml fresh orange juice
- 60 ml brandy
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 10 g orange zest, finely grated
Dry Dough Ingredients
- 600 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g fine semolina
- 10 g baking powder
- 5 g baking soda
- 6 g ground cinnamon
- 2 g ground cloves
Garnish
- 150 g walnuts, finely chopped
- 2 g ground cinnamon
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 213 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 32 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 17 g
- Sodium
- 62 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Potassium
- 55 mg
- Calcium
- 27 mg
- Iron
- 0.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 12 mg
- Phosphorus
- 40 mg
- Zinc
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 4 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.06 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.03 mg
- Niacin
- 0.4 mg
- Folate
- 14 mcg
- Water
- 15 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine the water, granulated sugar, orange halves, and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 5 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in the honey until dissolved, and let the syrup cool completely to room temperature. This takes about 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk the extra virgin olive oil, vegetable oil, fresh orange juice, brandy, granulated sugar, and orange zest in a large mixing bowl until slightly emulsified.
Mix the all-purpose flour, fine semolina, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves in a separate bowl until evenly distributed.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold gently with your hands just until the flour disappears. Do not overmix or the oil will separate.
Pinch off 30-gram portions of dough and shape them into smooth ovals. Press the tops lightly against a wire cooling rack to create a textured pattern, then place them on the baking sheet.
Bake at 180°C/350°F for 20 to 25 minutes until the cookies are lightly golden and crisp to the touch.
Drop the hot baked cookies immediately into the completely cooled syrup. Soak for 15 to 20 seconds per side.
Transfer the soaked cookies to a wire rack using a slotted spoon to allow excess syrup to drip off.
Toss the chopped walnuts with the remaining ground cinnamon and sprinkle generously over the warm, sticky cookies. Let them set before serving.
Chef's Notes
- The golden rule of Greek syrupy desserts is contrasting temperatures: hot cookies must go into completely cold syrup. This ensures the cookie crumb absorbs moisture without disintegrating into mush.
- Fine semolina is the secret to the perfect texture. It provides a slight sandiness that holds the syrup beautifully without turning into a heavy paste.
- Never knead this dough. Overworking develops the gluten and causes the olive oil to separate and bleed out, resulting in dense, tough cookies.
- Creating a patterned surface on the unbaked cookies is functional as well as traditional. Rolling the dough lightly over a grater or wire skimmer creates crevices that catch and hold the syrup and the chopped walnuts.
Storage
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze unsoaked baked cookies. Thaw at room temperature, warm slightly in the oven, and soak in cold syrup before serving.
Troubleshooting
Cookies crumbled and fell apart in the syrup
Cause: Cookies were left in the syrup too long, or the syrup was not fully cold
Fix: Cannot be fixed once crumbled, but the broken pieces make an excellent topping for vanilla ice cream
Prevention: Ensure the syrup is completely chilled before baking, and strictly limit soaking to 15 to 20 seconds per side
Dough is extremely oily and difficult to shape
Cause: The dough was overmixed or kneaded, causing the oil to separate from the flour
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Mix the wet and dry ingredients very gently and stop the moment the flour disappears
Cultural Context
Melomakarona are the quintessential Greek winter holiday cookie, deeply rooted in ancient traditions. The name stems from the ancient Greek word makaria, an oval-shaped bread served at banquets, which eventually became sweetened with meli, meaning honey. Today, their presence in a Greek home signals the true beginning of the festive season.
