Melomakarona (Greek Christmas cookies) are delicious dairy-free cookies enjoyed in Greek households over the Christmas and holiday season!

Melomakarona are soft, oval-shaped cookies made with ingredients you likely already have on hand! This recipe makes between 35 and 40 cookies, but the good news is that these cookies are stored best at room temperature (they can last for at least two weeks), and there’s no need to put them in the fridge.

The texture of these cookies is almost cake-like in the centre since they become slightly soft as the orange syrup soaks into them. They are the perfect cookie for those with a sweet tooth!

What Are Melomakarona Made Of? 

Melomakarona cookies are mostly made of flour, oil, orange, honey, sugar, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg spices. When baked, they will fill your home with a delightful holiday scent.

Are Melomakarona Christmas Cookies? 

Yes! Melomakarona are traditionally baked for Christmas and offered to friends and family who visit during the holidays! But you can modify the recipe to enjoy them without the orange honey syrup or walnuts, or enjoy this recipe all year round! Other popular Greek Christmas cookies are buttery and powdered kourabiedes, and I also have a vegan kourabiedes option.

The cookie dough is dairy-free and not super sweet (before dipping the cookies in the orange syrup), making it delicious with your morning coffee or as a treat during the day.

 

RECIPE TIPS

• This recipe calls for olive oil and vegetable oil. While the olive oil contributes to the flavour of these cookies, if you don’t have olive oil on hand or don’t like how olive oil tastes, you can use only vegetable oils such as canola oil or mazola oil.
  
  

• If you’re not a fan of walnuts, you can easily substitute walnuts for ground pistachios or almonds.
  
  

• The cookie dough should be pliable but not too soft. After the dough starts thickening, remove it from the electric mixer and use your hands or a spatula to add the remaining flour. If the dough is too soft, gradually add more flour until the cookie holds its shape.
  
  

• Do not knead the dough too much because the oil will come to the surface.
  
  

• Spread the cookies evenly in a single layer on a baking sheet. The cookies will expand in the oven, so leave at least a 1-inch space between them.
  
  

• If the cookies overbake, they may not absorb the syrup as well.  The cookies should be slightly soft when they come out of the oven because they will harden more as they cool.  They should only need about 20 minutes in the oven.  It’s best to use a light-coloured baking sheet so the cookies don’t brown too quickly on the bottom.
  
  

• The cookies must be at room temperature and the syrup should be hot for them to absorb the syrup mixture. The contrasting temperatures help the cookies absorb the syrup better.
  
  

• I use two forks to remove the cookies and dip them in the syrup. As the dipped cookies cool, they will continue to absorb the syrup. For this reason, melomakarona tastes even better 12-24 hours after they’re made! Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature to keep them fresh. These cookies will last for about a week at room temperature.

HOW TO MAKE GREEK HONEY COOKIES (MELOMAKARONA): STEP-BY-STEP 

STEP 1: Mix the ingredients. Pour 1 1/2 cups of oil into a large mixing bowl and add 1 cup of white sugar. Mix the oil and sugar on medium-high speed (#4 on a KitchenAid mixer) for 20 minutes using an electric stand mixer with the whisk attachment. After 20 minutes, add the brandy, cinnamon, nutmeg powder, and clove powder to the mixture.

STEP 2: Zest, peel, and juice the oranges. Zest three oranges and then juice the oranges to get 1 cup of orange juice.  You may need 2-3 oranges to get 1 cup of juice. Reserve 1-2 tablespoons of orange juice in a small glass and set it aside. You’ll need it to mix the orange juice and baking soda for the next step. Add 1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice to the bowl with the oil and sugar,  and mix at medium speed.

STEP 3: Test and add in baking soda mixture. Mix the baking soda with 1-2 tablespoons of orange juice in a small glass. The mixture should foam slightly. If not, your baking soda may be expired, so it’s good to check! If it doesn’t foam, you’ll need to try again with new baking soda. If it does foam, add the orange juice with baking soda to the mixing bowl. 

STEP 4: Sift flour and add to mixture. Sift 4 1/2 cups of flour into a separate large bowl. Add two teaspoons of baking powder and the orange zest to the flour. Mix together with a spoon.  Before adding the flour to wet ingredients, switch from the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment. Gradually add the flour mixture to the oil mixture on low speed. Stop the mixer once all the flour is absorbed. You may need to turn off the mixer and use your hands to fold in the remaining flour. The dough should be slightly sticky but pliable.  Too much flour will cause the melomakarona to be too firm, and they may not absorb the honey syrup as well.

STEP 5: Preheat your oven. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F on convection bake.

STEP 6: Allow the dough to rest. Allow the cookie dough to rest uncovered at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. The cookie dough should be pliable but firm enough that the cookies hold their shape. If the dough is too soft, you can gradually add some flour.  A helpful tip is lightly rubbing oil or water on your hands before shaping the cookies.  This will prevent the cookie dough from sticking to your hands.

STEP 7: Shape the cookies. Scoop about one tablespoon of cookie dough for each cookie.  Use the palm of your hands to roll the dough into a ball and then shape each cookie into a long oval shape. The cookies should all be similar in size so that they can be baked evenly.  Depending on the size of your baking sheets and oven, you may need to bake your cookies in multiple batches.

STEP 8: Bake the cookies. Bake the cookies at 350°F for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.  While the cookies are baking, you can make the honey orange syrup.

STEP 9: Allow the cookies to cool. Once your cookies are golden brown, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely on a cooling rack. The cookies will harden more as they cool. As tempting as it is, try not to rush this step. For the cookies to absorb the hot syrup, the cookies need to be cool, and the syrup needs to be hot.

STEP 10: Dip the cool cookies in the hot syrup. If you’ve made the syrup ahead of time, gradually heat the syrup mixture until it comes to a boil. Once the syrup is hot, turn off the heat or reduce the heat to low and place your cookies into the syrup. Depending on the size of your saucepan, I usually dip six cookies at a time.

Soak the cookies in syrup for at least one minute on each side.  If you like them sweeter or softer, then you can soak them for longer. Remove your cookies from the syrup using two forks or a slated spoon. Place the dipped cookies onto a separate plate or serving tray.  Immediately sprinkle with the ground walnuts.

 HOW TO MAKE HONEY ORANGE SYRUP: STEP BY STEP 

STEP 1: Slowly bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Then, add honey to the syrup. Bring the syrup to a boil and skim off any foam that rises to the top with a spoon. Discard the foam. Add in the orange rind and cinnamon stick.

STEP 2: Add one teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. Allow the syrup to simmer for at least 10 minutes.

Step 3: The orange syrup must be hot when you dip the cookies into it. You can make the syrup ahead of time and then reheat it to a boil once the cookies have cooled. Once you dip the cookies into the syrup, remove it from the heat or keep it on low. You will need to heat the syrup a few times as you dip the cookies to make sure it’s still really hot.

HOW TO MAKE GROUND WALNUTS: STEP-BY-STEP

STEP 1: Spread 1 cup of walnuts onto a baking sheet. After removing the cookies from the oven and the oven is still hot, you can roast the walnuts for a couple of minutes. Because of the high oil content in nuts, keep an eye on them so that they don’t burn.

STEP 2: In a food processor, mix the oven-roasted walnuts until ground. For best results, sprinkle the ground walnuts on top of the cookies immediately after dipping them in the honey orange syrup so that they stick better to the dipped cookies.

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