21/12/2024
🎄Let's make Greek Christmas Honey Cookies (Melomakarona)!
1. Syrup: In a small pot, combine the water, sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves, and half an orange. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes while stirring intermittently to ensure that the sugar is fully dissolved into the mixture.
2. Take the pot off the heat and stir in your honey. Keep stirring until all of it is fully incorporated into the syrup, then put it aside so that it may cool down.
3. Cookies: In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, baking soda, sugar, seed oil, and olive oil. Then add in the orange zest with brandy and spices like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg until everything is blended equally.
4. In a separate, sizable bowl combine the flour, semolina, and baking powder together until everything is well-mixed.
5. Carefully pour the liquid mixture into a bowl and mix lightly for roughly one minute using your hand or a spatula. However, it is imperative that you do not over-mix!
6. Scoop a spoonful of the batter and form it into an oval shape. Using a fork, create small holes in each piece to allow them to more efficiently soak up the syrup.
7. Place them on a baking tray covered with a baking sheet and bake them in a preheated oven at 180ºC (350 F°) for about 25 minutes.
8. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, submerge them in syrup for 10 seconds to allow them to soak up all its sweetness.
9. Arrange the melomakarona artfully on a plate, and top each layer off with chopped walnuts for maximum flavor. Finish it off with one final large scoop of walnut garnish!
🎉 May your holidays be as sweet as the cookies you enjoy, filled with love, laughter, and all the cozy moments that make this season magical!