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Baking · Greek

Melomakarona

Greek Christmas cookies scented with orange and spice, dunked in honey syrup and showered with walnuts.

Hands-on
40 min
Hands-off
1 h 5 min
Oven preheat
15 min
Total
1 h 45 min
Makes
30 cookies (30 to 35)
Serves
30

The syrup has to cool completely (about 1 hour), so make it first and mix the dough in the last 20 minutes of that wait. Then 25 minutes baking and about 10 minutes dipping. Allow up to 2 hours if you work one task at a time.

Oven 180 °C · 160 °C fan (350 °F)

Pan large baking sheet, lined with baking parchment (US: large baking sheet, lined with parchment)

  • medium
  • vegetarian
  • dairy-free
  • egg-free
  • christmas
  • holiday
  • cookies
  • make-ahead
  • gift

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Melomakarona
Amount
Units
Oven

Ingredients

You need: medium saucepan · fine-mesh sieve · large bowl for the syrup · medium and large mixing bowls · whisk · large baking sheet · parchment paper · wire cooling rack (for the pattern) · slotted spoon · serving platter · oven mitts

Contains: wheat · tree nuts

Method

  1. Make the syrup

    Put 336 g (1 cup) honey, 198 g (1 cup) sugar, 2 cloves, the cinnamon stick, the orange zest strips and 320 ml (1 1/3 cups) water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn down to medium and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then.

    Ready when: The sugar has fully dissolved and the syrup looks clear, with no grains on the spoon.

  2. Cool the syrup completely

    Take the pan off the heat and let the syrup cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Then strain it through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.

    Ready when: Completely cool: the outside of the pan and the syrup feel no warmer than the room.

    Otto tried this firstOtto dips his hot cookies into hot syrup to save time and ends up with soggy, crumbling lumps. Cool syrup, hot cookies: one of the two must be cool.

  3. Heat the oven

    When the syrup has been cooling for about 40 minutes, heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F) and line a large baking sheet with parchment.

    Ready when: The oven has reached temperature (most ovens signal with a light or beep, after about 15 minutes).

  4. Mix the dry ingredients

    In a medium bowl, whisk 480 g (4 cups) flour, 82 g (1/2 cup) semolina, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground cloves and 1/4 tsp nutmeg.

    Ready when: No heat in this step: just whisk until the spices are evenly mixed through the flour.

  5. Mix the wet ingredients, then the dough

    In a large bowl, whisk 160 ml (2/3 cup) olive oil, 80 ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil, 66 g (1/3 cup) sugar, 60 ml (1/4 cup) orange juice, 2 tbsp honey and 60 ml (1/4 cup) water until the sugar dissolves. Add the dry mix and bring it together by hand, without kneading more than you need to.

  6. Shape the cookies

    Take about 1 1/2 tbsp dough (about 30 g / 1 oz) at a time and shape it into an oval about 1 cm (1/2 in) thick. Press the top lightly onto a wire rack to print a diamond pattern, then set it pattern-side up on the lined sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

  7. Bake

    Bake for about 25 minutes.

    Ready when: Ready when the cookies are lightly browned all over.

  8. Dip while hot

    Working one at a time, drop each hot cookie into the cool syrup and turn it a couple of times with a slotted spoon for 5 to 10 seconds, just until it soaks up syrup and is coated. Lift it onto a platter.

    Ready when: Each cookie looks glossy and darker and has drunk in some syrup, but still holds its shape.

  9. Add the walnuts

    Straight away, while the syrup is sticky, sprinkle the 113 g (1 cup) chopped walnuts over the cookies.

Swaps

  • Instead of vegetable oil: canola (rapeseed) oil, same amount Any neutral oil works alongside the olive oil.
  • Instead of pressing a diamond pattern on a wire rack: pricking the tops with a fork, halfway through the dough Gives the syrup the same little channels to soak into.

Don’t swap

  • Hot syrup for cool syrup: hot cookies must go into completely cool syrup, or they turn soggy and fall apart.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
Melomakarona keep well, so they can be made well before the holidays.
Storage
Leftover syrup keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.

If something goes wrong

  • Dull, not glossy Why: A quick dip left only a thin coat of syrup.
    Dip them in the syrup a second time.
  • Cookies fall apart in the syrup Why: The syrup was still warm, or they were left in too long.
    Let the syrup cool completely and dip each hot cookie for only 5 to 10 seconds.

Good to know

  • Dough should feel slightly sticky but soft and smooth. Mix just until it comes together; overworking makes the cookies tough.
  • A batch doubles easily for gifting.

Safety

  • Honey syrup gets much hotter than boiling water and sticks to skin. Keep kids away from the pan while it boils, and let it cool before straining.
  • The cookies come out of a 180°C (350°F) oven: use oven mitts and a slotted spoon for dipping, not fingers.
  • Honey should not be given to babies under 1 year old.