Easy Melomakarona – Authentic Greek Dessert

Winter makes the Christmas and New Year celebration quite chilly, so why not warm up yourself with the aroma of cinnamon, hot chocolate, and freshly baked Melomakarona? They are so easy to bake that even your 13 year old children can help you bake them. Another similar dessert I love, KOURABIEDES, is also one of the best Greek desserts for Christmas, even though they have Turkish origin. These fresh, hot, and syrupy cookies make your dinner fiesta and breakfast coffee even more exciting.

Origin of Melomakarona?

In ancient Greece, cookies named makaria were prepared using an egg mixture and honey syrup. They were consumed during funerals. The word Melomakarona is derived from ancient Greek words for honey, which are “meli” and “makaria”.  Nowadays, dark chocolate syrup is poured over prepared Melomakarona which gives it a modern touch. So if you are already done serving desserts like Galaktoboureko, Greek Baklava, and Loukoumades at your festivities, this one is a new classic recipe to try.

Ingredient Notes

Olive oil: Although many desserts and baked items are prepared in butter or vegetable oil, this classic owes its unique taste to the addition of olive oil. Be sure to find the Greek extra virgin Olive oil for the recipe.

Orange Juice: Although any citrus juice works well, this recipe is known for its classic Orange flavor burst. You can use packaged orange juice, but I always extract juices from fresh oranges in my Proctor Silex Juicit Electric Citrus Juicer. This delivers the best flavor of fresh oranges without added sugars.

Walnuts: When it comes to traditional Greek desserts, a must-have ingredient is chopped walnuts. If you dry roast them for a while before processing them in a nut blender, they will become more aromatic and lend a nutty texture to the cookies. Crushed walnuts on the top of the Melomakarona, just before serving.

Powdered cinnamon: Powdered cinnamon is a very aromatic baking spice that lends a sweet and spicy taste to desserts. It is used in many Greek delicacies. We will require a dash of powdered cinnamon to go on top of the baked Melomakarona.

Tips for the perfect Melomakarona dough

• Make sure to prepare and use the Melomakarona dough on the same day, because if you knead the dough and keep it for next-day use, the oil may separate leaving the dough in an awful shape.
• If you are using an electric mixer, be sure to knead the dough on medium-low speed for a 5-8 minutes depending on the consistency you want. If the dough is overworked, the oil may separate.
• Use only the amount of dough specified for this recipe. By adding too much dough, the cookies will be become tough and break. If you think the dough is getting sticky, allow it to rest for 10 to 15 minutes and knead again. If it is still sticky, add a little amount of flour.

Ingredients For Melomakarona

For Melomakarona cookies

• 9 cups All purpose flour
• 3 cups Greek Olive oil (extra Virgin)
• ½ cup Orange Juice
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 tbsp. Baking soda

For syrup

• 2 cups Greek honey
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 lemon juice and lemon zest
• Ground cinnamon
• 2 cups ground walnuts (for garnish)

How to make Melomakarona?

Step 1. Make the dough

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease baking sheets or butter papers with melted butter or oil.

Use an electric mixer for dough. I always advise using Hamilton Beach Classic Stand and Hand Mixer for the dough recipes, because this mixer regulates the mixing speed and has multiple attachments to fulfill kitchen tasks.

Attach the whisk attachment and use a medium-sized bowl. Pour in olive oil and sugar. Whisk on medium speed until the mixture gets a white, creamy, and foamy texture.

In a separate mixing cup, mix the orange juice and baking soda. Mix well until it becomes bubbly.

Add this to the olive oil mixture and work again for 30 seconds. Remove the whisk and fix the paddle attachment which is used for kneading the dough.

Set the mixer to medium speed. Slowly add the flour while the mixer is working. Allow it to knead until a smooth, soft dough is formed. Cover it with a plastic film and allow it to rest for at least one hour.

Step 2. Shape the cookies

After an hour, check if the consistency of the dough is fine. If it is sticky, add a bit of flour and wait for 15 minutes before working.

Melomakarona are Traditionally egg-shaped cookies. Take some dough and shape it into 2-inch long and 1.5-inch thick cookies.

Place one greased baking sheet on a baking pan. Set the cookies on it. Use a fork and prick a bit on the top of the cookies to create a design.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a nice, light brown color of the cookies is achieved.

Step 3. Prepare the syrup

While your cookies bake, you can prepare your syrup. In a saucepan, pour water, sugar, cinnamon stick, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

Place it on medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Note that we only need to cook the syrup until the sugar dissolves and it becomes translucent. The syrup should not turn caramel color.

Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from flame. Add Greek honey and mix well. Allow it to cool. Never pour hot syrup over hot or even cold cookies because it will break them.

Step 4. Set and serve

Take out the cookies from the oven and immediately pour the syrup over the cookies. Set them on a cookie serving platter.

Sprinkle dry roasted and chopped walnuts on the Melomakarona. Sprinkle powdered cinnamon and serve.  

How to store Melomakarona?

Since Melomakarona are like baked biscuits, they will stay fresh in an airtight container even after 2 weeks. But if you want to keep them longer or are making an extra batch, put them in the airtight container without pouring the syrup. When you need to serve, prepare fresh syrup, let it cool down, and soak the baked Melomakarona in it. Dash with a bit of cinnamon powder and walnuts.

Storing the dough is not advisable because it may become tough and may release oil. Use fresh dough the same day it is prepared.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Easy Melomakarona Recipe

This year, bake some Traditional Greek desserts for Christmas and New Year celebrations.Celebrate in style by baking these classic Greek Melomakarona with our easypeasy recipe, tips, and unique ideas.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Greek

Keyword greek

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Author Adalynn Ward

Servings 4 persons

Calories 195kcal

Ingredients

For Cookies

• 9 cups All purpose flour
• 3 cups Greek Olive oil (extraVirgin)
• ½ cup Orange Juice
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 tbsp Baking soda

For syrup

• 2 cups Greek honey
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 lemon juice and lemonzest
• Ground cinnamon
• 2 cups ground walnuts (forgarnish)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Meanwhile, grease baking sheets.
• Fix the whisk attachment to the electric mixer. In the mixer's medium-sized bowl pour olive oil and add sugar. Whisk on medium-high speed until the mixture gets creamy.
• In a separate cup, mix the orange juice with baking soda. Add this along with water to the olive oil mixture. Whisk again for half a minute.
• Fix the paddle attachment. Add flour slowly while kneading the dough until a soft dough is formed.
• Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for half an hour.
• Shape the dough into 2-inch long 1-inch thick cookies. Use a fork to prick a decorative pattern on the surface.
• Place the greased baking sheet on a baking pan and set the cookies on it, mounded side up. Set the cookies 2 inches apart from each other. Bake for 20 minutes until they become light brown.
• Meanwhile, prepare the syrup. Put all the ingredients of the syrup in a saucepan except honey and cook until the contents boil. Allow simmering on low heat for 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat, add honey and mix well.
• Let the Melamakarona cool down for at least 20 minutes. Dip each cookie in the syrup and place it on the serving platter. Sprinkle it with cinnamon powder and finely chopped walnuts.

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 2.1g | Fat: 7g | Sodium: 39mg | Sugar: 20g