Honey Dainties (Melomakarona)
Submitted by kantesa
Melomakarona, traditional Greek honey cookies made with olive oil, butter, and orange juice, dipped in warm honey syrup and topped with walnuts and cinnamon.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
20 minREADY
30 minMelomakarona are the honey-soaked cookies you’ll find on every Greek holiday table, especially at Christmas. The dough is made with both butter and corn oil, which gives them a tender, cake-like crumb that soaks up syrup without falling apart. Fresh orange juice in the batter adds a subtle citrus note that plays off the honey beautifully.
Beat the melted (and cooled) butter with the oil for a full 10 minutes until creamy and light. Then beat in the sugar for another 10 minutes. This extended creaming is not optional. It incorporates air into a dough that has no eggs, and that air is what keeps the cookies from turning into dense rocks.
Shape them into small ovals, about 2 inches long, and press fork tines into the top. Those grooves aren’t just decorative. They create channels for the honey syrup to soak into.
The syrup must be warm, not hot, when you dip. Hot syrup makes the cookies dissolve. Warm syrup soaks in gradually and evenly. Dip, turn to coat, and immediately sprinkle with chopped walnuts and cinnamon while the surface is still tacky.
Chef Tips
- Refrigerate the dough to firm it slightly before shaping. Too-soft dough spreads in the oven and loses its oval shape.
- The dough keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days, so you can bake in batches.
- Store in an airtight tin with each cookie in a paper muffin cup to prevent sticking.
Variations
- Add ground cloves and a pinch of nutmeg to the dough for a more complex spice profile.
- Use extra virgin olive oil instead of corn oil for a more traditional, slightly fruity flavor.
- Drizzle extra syrup over the finished cookies for an even sweeter, stickier result.
Ingredients
Directions
- Melt butter and cool to room temperature. Put butter and corn oil into large bowl of electric mixer.
Beat on medium speed until creamy and light in color, about 10 minutes.
Beat in sugar; beat thoroughly, about 10 minutes.
- Add orange juice, baking powder and baking soda; beat 2 Starting with 6 cups flour, add flour, a little at a time. Beat, adding remaining 1 cup flour, or slightly more as needed, until a medium-soft dough is formed. Refrigerate dough to firm slightly or as long as 2 days.
- For syrup, boil sugar, water and honey together for 5 minutes. Cool until syrup is warm-not hot.
- Heat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Shape dough into ovals about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Press the tines of a fork into the top of each. Bake until golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool briefly on wire racks.
- Gently dip each cookie in the warm syrup; turn to coat all sides. Place on a wire rack and sprinkle at once with the chopped nuts and cinnamon. Cool completely. Place each cookie in a paper muffin cups. Store in an airtight tin.
Comments