Melomakarona--orange, honey, cinnamon, walnut, olive oil cookies

Melomakarona and kourabiedes are the two holiday sweets that are found in abundance in most Greek homes during the holidays. And making them is usually a family / friend's event when they are usually together.

Melomakarona take a bit longer to make than their snowy cousin because there is the extra step of dipping them in syrup before drizzling honey and chopped walnuts on top.  

When dipping, the syrup must be cold and the cookies hot from the oven. Therefore, make the syrup beforehand--even the day before, and keep in the fridge. 

Melomakarona, unlike kourabiedes, are best eaten within two weeks or so--not that they go "bad", they just always taste noticeably better when fresh!

        SYRUP:

1. Put the sugar, water and cinnamon stick in a sauce pan and boil for one minute.
2. Stir to dissolve the sugar and take off heat.
3. Add the honey, stir and then the 1 half of the fresh orange (save the other for the cookies). 
4. Once cooled, put into the refrigerator. (I take out the orange & squeeze to use along with the other half for the cookies).

        COOKIES

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
2. In a deep bowl stir the olive oil, zest , powdered sugar, cinnamon and cloves until well mixed. 
3. In a deep bowl or pitcher mix the orange juice with the soda (it will foam up, so it needs to be at least 3x as deep as the orange juice)
4. Stir juice into olive oil mixture
5. Gently fold in the flour until just incorporated--just until all flour has been absorbed and no more!

6. Form dough into finger length oval cookies and place on cookie sheets (a walnut can be stuffed inside the dough when forming each cookie if you'd like)

7. Gently score the top of cookies with a tea strainer or anything you have on hand that would make the cookie surface rough (this is to hold the honey and chopped walnuts on top of cookie.

8. Bake for 30 minutes.

       LAST STEP WHILE HOT

1. When cooked to golden brown, turn off oven, but leave the cookies in it.

2. Place some of the cold syrup in a shallow pan (I use a pyrex)

3. Put 5-6 hot cookies in the cold syrup. Leave in syrup for 30 seconds on one side and another 30 on the other.

4. Then place on a plate, or container--and continue doing this until all have been dipped in syrup, adding more cold syrup as needed. Then, drizzle honey over the cookies and sprinkle chopped walnuts on top. (I do this step while soaking cookies in the syrup)