Recipe Melomakarona (Greek Honey Cookies) III

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Melomakarona: Greek Christmas Honey Cookies

And one final variation.... Which is probably the recipe i will give to my husband and has been taken from this website.

Melomakarona1.jpg


Ingredients
For the cookies
2 cups olive oil (you may want to substitute 1 cup of vegetable oil such as corn oil)
1 cup sugar
½ cup cognac or brandy
½ cup orange juice
Orange zest from 1 orange
1 teaspoon cinnamon
7 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

For the syrup
2 cups honey
2 cups sugar
2 cups water

For the topping
½ cup finely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon


Method
1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl mix the olive oil, cognac or brandy, orange juice, sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and orange peel.
3. In another bowl sift flour and mix with the baking powder and baking soda. Add gradually to the olive oil mixture, while stirring with a wooden spoon. Once you have added all the flour, knead the dough and add some more flour if needed.
4. Roll the dough in little balls about the size of a walnut. Using your fingers press one side of the ball on a grater flattening like a small pancake and then fold over so that the cookie is in a oval shape, with the top having the design of the grater. This is done so that the honey will be better absorbed as opposed to just shaping the cookie in a solid oval shape.
5. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 25 minutes. Bake the rest of the cookies.
6. Once all the cookies are baked, flip them so that the bottom part is facing up, let them cool down.
7. For the syrup bring to a boil the honey, syrup and water and let it boil for 5 minutes. Remove the foam.
8. Once the syrup is boiled, while it is hot, pour it over the cookies, making sure all cookies are covered with syrup. Let the cookies sit for at least 2 hours, than turn them over and let them sit some more. *
9. Mix the walnuts with cinnamon and sprinkle over the melomakarona.
10. Place the melomakarona on a large platter.

You can also substitute the orange juice and brandy with beer. Instead of using ½ cup brandy and ½ cup orange juice, use 1 cup beer.

* Some people prefer to do the opposite: Make the syrup and let it cool off, than pour the syrup over hot cookies, instead of letting them cool down. Another way is to place the melomakarona in the pot with the syrup for a few minutes and removing them with a slotted spoon.

Makes about 50 pieces.

Nutrition information
1 Melomakarono (2 oz. each): Calories: 240, Carbohydrates: 37 grams, Protein: 2,5 grams, Fat: 9 grams, Saturated Fat: 1,2 grams.
 
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My husband was finally bullied into making these yesterday. They are not quite as we remember from the island of Rhodes, but they are very nice and very rich all the same.

He made the dairy free version of the 3rd recipe that I put up. It would be quite interesting to see how the second recipe also works which when I get back on my feet at some point in the new year I hope to try out.

I will say, they are delicious, but quantities need scaling down a touch :D

His first attempt...

DSC_0030.jpg

Tad sweet but I can cope. :D
 
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These are definitely improving in flavour as they age. I think they needed to be stood on a wire mesh of some form before the syrup was poured over them, or for a couple of hours afterwards but they are delicious! My OH had done a good job on them, just don't tell him I said so please! :D
 
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