Greek Macedonian Melomakarona (Μελομακάρονα Μακεδονίας)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •box grater or ridged melomakarona board
• •two rimmed baking sheets, about 30 x 40cm
• •wide shallow saucepan, about 28cm
• •wire rack set over a tray

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the Oven

   Heat the oven to 180C, or 170C fan. Line two large baking sheets with parchment. Whisk the flour, semolina, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves in a wide bowl so the spice is evenly carried through the dough.

2. 2

   Mix the Oils

   In a second bowl, whisk the olive oil, sunflower oil, sugar, and orange zest for about 1 minute, just until the sugar begins to dissolve and the mixture smells bright. Stir the baking soda into the orange juice over the bowl, because it will foam up, then add it with the brandy.

3. 3

   Form the Dough

   Add the dry mixture to the oil mixture in two additions, folding gently with your hand or a spatula. Stop as soon as no dry flour remains. Do not knead it. Melomakarona dough should be soft, oily to the touch, and able to hold an oval without cracking.

   If the dough feels loose, let it rest for 5 minutes before adding flour. Semolina drinks slowly, and patience saves you from a heavy cookie.
4. 4

   Shape the Cookies

   Portion the dough into 35g pieces. Roll each one into a small oval, then press the top gently against the large holes of a box grater or a ridged board. The grooves are not decoration only. They catch syrup and hold the walnuts.

5. 5

   Bake Until Gold

   Arrange the cookies 3cm apart and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through, until they are deep golden at the edges and firm underneath. Let them cool completely on the trays, at least 45 minutes. They must be cold before the syrup touches them.

6. 6

   Make Hot Syrup

   Put the water, sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves, and orange peel in a wide shallow saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Lower the heat, add the honey, and stir until it dissolves. Keep the syrup hot at the edge of a simmer.

7. 7

   Dip the Cookies

   Drop 4 or 5 cold cookies at a time into the hot syrup. Turn them once and let them drink for 25 to 30 seconds total, a little longer if you made them thicker. Cold cookie, hot syrup. That contrast is what pulls the honey through the crumb without making the outside collapse.

8. 8

   Finish with Walnuts

   Lift the melomakarona out with a slotted spoon and set them on a rack over a tray for 2 minutes. Move them to a platter while still glossy. Mix the chopped walnuts with the 1/2 tsp cinnamon and press a small mound onto each cookie.

9. 9

   Rest Before Serving

   Let the cookies rest at least 4 hours before serving, overnight if you can. The syrup settles, the spice rounds out, and the semolina crumb becomes tender without losing its bite.

Chef Tips

• •Use honey you like enough to eat from the spoon. Thyme honey is beautiful here; pine honey is darker and stronger, so mix it half-and-half with a lighter flower honey if it dominates.
• •Fresh walnuts matter. Rancid walnuts announce themselves louder than cinnamon, and then the whole tray tastes tired. Buy them from a shop with turnover and chop them just before you need them.
• •Do not refrigerate melomakarona. Store them covered at room temperature for up to 10 days, with parchment between layers once the syrup has settled.
• •These belong to the Christmas table, but they come from the fasting kitchen too. No eggs, no butter, no milk. The old calendar already knew how to feed a plant-based table.

Advance Preparation

• •Bake the cookies 1 day ahead and keep them uncovered in a dry place, then dip them in hot syrup the next day.
• •Chop the walnuts up to 2 days ahead and keep them airtight at room temperature.
• •Finished melomakarona are best after 4 to 12 hours of resting, when the syrup has settled evenly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 58g)