Melomakarona (μελομακάρονα)
Dec 30th, 2007 | By Peter Minakis | Category: Christmas, Greek, Sweets
Greeks like to have an array of sweets, cookies, appetizers out for offering to the revolving door guests during the Christmas holidays.
I’ve already shown you Kourabiedes and now you get to see the other standard offering, Melomakarona. I’m sure you can read the ingredients list but here are the flavour tags for this simple cookie…orange, walnut, honey, clove, cinnamon….a party in the mouth!
Melomakarona (μελομακάρονα)
(makes 100)
10 cups pastry flour
3 cups vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. honey
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup orange juice
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup walnuts (roughly pounded)
zest of 1 orange
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground clove
Pre-heated 350F oven
- Into a large bowl, add the zest, honey, sugar, vegetable oil and use your hand to mix all the ingredients.
- Pour in the orange juice, cloves, cinnamon and mix well (again with your hands).
- Add the eggs and mix well.
- Combine the flour with the baking powder and baking soda and then add your dry ingredients to the wet. Once again, mix well with your hands.
- Using your hands, roll the dough into small balls (about the size of apricots), then form them into quenelle shapes.
- Take your box grater (the side used to zest) and place a cookie on top of it. Press the cookie down a bit to form a grid pattern on the top of the cookie. Repeat this process for all the cookies.
- Place your cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in a pre-heated oven (middle rack) for 30 minutes.
Syrup Coating
2 cups of sugar
2 cups honey
2 cups water
- Add all three ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Using a large slotted spoon or Spider, drop the cookies in batches into the syrup for 3 minutes to absorn the syrup. Reserve on a cooling rack and repeat until all the cookies are dunked in syrup.
Walnut Topping
6 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 cups of ground walnuts
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground clove
- Add the above ingredients in a bowl mix well with a spoon.
- Brush each cookie with the remaining syrup and then sprinkle each cookie top with the walnut topping. Allow to cool.
- Store in a cool, dry container for up to 6 weeks.
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Nice presentation Peter. Ours have long disappeared, next year again. Happy New Year.
The ingredients in your cookies are wonderful. I love how you put them across the grater
You made 100!? Wow, and you didn’t save me one. Thanks
I agree with the whole party in the mouth thing!have a fantastic New Year in TO!!
These look good. I really like using honey and nuts in sweets/cookies/deserts.
Your melomakarona look great, Peter! I never thought to use a grater to create the grid pattern.
Yum Peter! I love the way you used your grater to make the markings! Cool!
I want to wish you a very “Happy New Year”! Looking forward to all of our visits in 2008!
Absolutely beautiful Melomacarana Peter! They are one of my favorite cookies ever. I always poke mine with a fork — next year I’ll try your grater trick!
So yummy ! happy new year again !
We have a similar dessert here in Turkey. It’s called “Kalburabasti” (without the walnut topping) but a great idea to mix walnuts with cloves!
By the way “kalbur” is the name of the stuff on which they press the dough to give the pattern, or using the grater as u use
[...] (these honey & walnut cookies be found in every Greek home around Christmas time. Here’s another [...]
[...] those living outside of Greece, one can always make a batch of Melomekarona and if you’re concerned about their availablity, most Greek bakeries sell them all year [...]
Wow those sounds delightful Peter..yum! I imagine your kitchen smells fantastic with all these treats.
Hi Peter, these look fab! but just one question… where in the recipe do you use the 3 cups of oil listed in the ingredients?? Thanks
Tanya, in the start – with the sugar.
WOW! I wondered how my mother had those dots in them…Its the Grater (secret)…who knew to ask?? I just eat them! One day I will make them, so have that recipe on hand….Looks Delicious! They are my favorite Greek dessert!
[...] will find many recipes for Melomakarona and this recipe (although not a new offering on my blog), is a good one – a delicious [...]
I just had these homemade from a Greek family 3 days ago. One word, heavenly! Peter a very Merry Christmas to you and your family! BTW, your mom is awesome, such talent in your kitchen!
Love your site, Re: the Melomakarona you dont mention what degree to heat the oven up to . tx