Connecting to a family tie is one of my favorite ways to explore new recipes. These fit the bill with an upcoming family trip to Greece and they last for about 3 weeks and ship beautifully! Like most classic Greek desserts, they feature delicious spices and a soak in a honey syrup.
Melomakaronas (Greek Honey Christmas Cookies)
Ingredients
For the syrup
To garnish
Instructions
Make and Cool the Syrup
Combine all syrup ingredients except the honey in a medium pot on the stove. Bring to a boil for 3-4 minutes, remove from heat, stir in syrup, and set aside to let cool.
Make the Cookies
Combine the semolina, all-purpose flour, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, combine the orange juice, cognac, sugar, vanilla, and spices. Add the baking soda and whisk for 5-10 seconds until the mixture becomes foamy. Add the water, oils, honey and orange zest. Continue whisking to combine well.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and knead to combine with your hands. This will be a sticky dough and it is important not to overwork otherwise it will be tough and/or oily.
Preheat the oven to 350F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. There will be four trays total baked, in two batches of two sheets.
Pinch off small pieces of dough, roughly 1 oz, and gently shape into an oval. Lay each cookie on the prepared parchment covered baking sheets and use a fork to pierce halfway through the dough three separate times.
Bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned and dry looking.
Immediately submerge each cookie in the cooled syrup for 20-40 seconds, depending on how saturated you like the cookies. You may need to use a slotted spatula to hold them under the syrup for full absorption.
Remove back to a resting spot and sprinkle immediately with walnuts. The syrup will help the nuts adhere to the cookies.
Store the melomakarona at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks!