Melomakarona: Greek Mānuka Honey Cookies

It's the holiday time which mean time for Christmas cooking. Melomakarona, is the most popular Greek Christmas Cookie! This festive season we took a spin on this authentic recipe decadent and delicious Greek Christmas honey cookie by adding our raw UMF Mānuka honey.

Ingredients:

For the cookies

2 cups olive oil
1 cup sugar
½ cup cognac or brandy
½ cup orange juice
Orange zest from 1 orange
1 teaspoon cinnamon
7 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

For the syrup

2 cups UMF 5+ Mānuka honey
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 cinnamon stick

For the topping

½ cup finely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Method:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl mix the olive oil, cognac or brandy, orange juice, sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and orange peel.

In another bowl sift flour and mix with the baking powder and baking soda. Add gradually to the olive oil mixture, while stirring with a wooden spoon. Once you have added all the flour, knead the dough and add some more flour if needed.

Roll the dough in little balls about the size of a walnut. Using your fingers press one side of the ball on a grater flattening like a small pancake and then fold over so that the cookie is in a oval shape, with the top having the design of the grater. This is done so that the honey will be better absorbed as opposed to just shaping the cookie in a solid oval shape.

Place the cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 25-28 minutes. Bake the rest of the cookies.

Once all the cookies are baked, flip them so that the bottom part is facing up, let them cool down.

For the syrup bring to a boil the honey, syrup and water and let it boil for 5 minutes. Remove the foam.

Once the syrup is boiled, while it is hot, pour it over the cookies, making sure all cookies are covered with syrup. Let the cookies sit for at least 2-3 hours with the top side facing down so that they absorb the syrup * (Some people prefer to do the opposite: Make the syrup and let it cool off, than pour the syrup over hot cookies, instead of letting them cool down. Another way is to place the melomakarona in the pot with the syrup for a few minutes and removing them with a slotted spoon.)

Mix the walnuts with cinnamon turn over on the melomakarona right side again, sprinkle over the melomakarona.

Place the melomakarona on a large platter.

Find the original recipe for moe tips & trick Olive Tomato