• Mix the ingredients.

  Pour 1 ½ cups of oil into a large mixing bowl and add 1 cup of white sugar. Mix the oil and sugar on medium-high speed for 20 minutes using an electric stand mixer with the whisk attachment. After 20 minutes, add in the brandy, cinnamon, nutmeg powder, and clove powder.
• 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 about 2 tablespoons of orange juice in a small glass and set it aside. Add 1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice to the mixing bowl and continue to mix at medium speed.
• Test and add in baking soda mixture.

  Mix the baking soda with two tablespoons of orange juice In a small glass. The mixture will foam slightly. Then, add it to the mixing bowl.
• Sift flour and add to the mixture.

  Sift 4 1/2 cups of flour into a separate large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of baking powder and orange zest to the flour. Mix together with a spoon. Before adding the flour to the wet ingredients, switch from the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment on the mixer. Gradually add the flour mixture to the oil mixture on low speed. Once almost all of the flour is absorbed, you may need to turn off the mixer and use your hands or a spatula instead when mixing in the remaining flour at the end. The dough will be slightly sticky but should be pliable. Too much flour will cause the melomakarona to be too firm, and then they may not absorb the syrup as well.
• Preheat your oven.

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit on convection bake.
• Allow the dough to rest. Allow the cookie dough to rest uncovered at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
• Shape the cookies.

  Scoop about one tablespoon of cookie dough for each cookie. Roll the dough into a ball and then shape each cookie into an oval shape. The cookies should all be similar in size so that they bake evenly. 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.
• Bake the cookies at 350°F on convection bake.

  Bake the cookies in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
• Prepare the honey orange syrup. While the cookies are baking, you can make the honey syrup.
• Allow the cookies to cool.

  Once your cookies are golden brown, remove them from the oven. Let them cool completely —at least 20 minutes on a cooling rack. The cookies will harden more as they cool. The cookies must cool completely before being dipped in the hot syrup.
• Dip the cool cookies in the hot syrup.

  If you've made the syrup ahead of time, gradually heat the syrup mixture to a boil. Once the syrup is hot, remove it from the heat or reduce the heat to low. You can add about 6 cookies at a time into the syrup (depending on the size of your saucepan). Soak the cookies in the syrup on each side for at least one minute. Remove the 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.

Honey Orange Syrup Instructions

• Boil sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar dilutes, then add the honey. Bring the syrup to a boil and skim off any foam that rises to the top with a spoon. Discard the foam. Add the orange rind and cinnamon stick to the syrup.
• Then, add 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. Allow the syrup to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the syrup slightly thickens.
• The syrup needs to be hot when you're dipping the cookies into it. You can make the syrup ahead of time and then reheat it to a boil once the cookies have cooled.

Ground walnuts Instructions (optional)

• Spread 1 cup of walnuts onto a baking sheet. After the cookies are removed 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.
• In a food processor, grind the oven-roasted walnuts.
• For best results, sprinkle ground walnuts on top of the cookies immediately after the cookies have been dipped in the honey syrup.