Melomakarona Honey Drenched Spice Cookies

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

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These honey spiced cookies called “Melomakarona”are our family traditional cookies during the holidays. But, it doesn’t mean you can’t make them year-around. Every Greek home has their own recipe, I compare it to the chocolate chip cookie in all American homes. Traditional recipes are passed down from generation to generation and this recipe comes from my mother Voula and her sister Liza’s recipe book, which I cherish and turn to often for my comfort food. Growing up on a farm, my mother had access to honey, so her two favorite desserts were baklava and these honey-drenched spice cookies. Her recipes were pantry ingredients and what they had in their family garden. I choose to eat and create recipes with simplicity as well, and enjoying the seasonal harvest of my garden. I truly believe recipes should be shared, not kept in private. You never know who might be reading this, someone who may have had the same childhood memories, someone with a lost family recipe or someone whose parents may have passed without leaving any family recipes. So enjoy every morsel of these spectacular traditional cookies.

This recipe calls for cake flour which makes the cookies lighter. I tend to use Swans Down or King Arthur in the recipe. If you have only regular AP- all purpose flour, that will work as well. If using regular flour buy 3- 31/2  pounds of flour, and a little extra if you need more.

 

 

Melomakarona - Honey-Drenched Spice Cookies

One of a kind recipe! These cookies are unforgettable with their sweet-honey smell.
Course Cookies
Cuisine Greek
Keyword cookies, Greek, holidays, honeycookie, Melomakarona
Author Mary Papoulias-Platis

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 1/2 boxes cake flour or all-purpose flour,

    Note: 1 box of cake flour = 32.ozs., 2lbs., 907g. If using all -purpose 3-31/2 lbs. flour.

  • 1/2 pound sweet butter, softened
  • 2 cups vegetable or olive oil
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 small glass of whiskey or brandy
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup fresh orange juice

Honey Syrup

  • 2 cups honey
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1-2 cinnamon sticks
  • peel of 1/2 of orange
  • 1 cup finely chopped walnuts, topping

Instructions

Cookie Batter

  1. Beat softened butter in mixer bowl for twenty minutes until pale in color.
  2. Beat in oil, sugar, egg, whiskey or brandy and spices. Remove from mixer and place in a large bowl.
  3. Over the large bowl of butter mixture, mix orange juice with the baking powder and baking soda until it turns foamy. Add to mixture and stir until combined.
  4. Add flour slowly by hand until dough is slightly sticky and can be formed into a cookie. Add enough flour until the dough releases from the side of the bowl. Do not over mix or add too much flour.
  5. Place about one 1-2 tablespoons of dough in your palm and form cookie into a round or oval cookie by hand.
  6. Cookies will rise so make them small. Flattened with fingers slightly.
  7. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.
  8. At room temperature dip the cookies in the warm syrup for a few minutes, turning once or twice.
  9. Sprinkle with walnuts.

Recipe Notes

Makes about 95 cookies. (can be halved)
Note: Cookies can be frozen at this time before baking, or kept in the refrigerated for weeks.

 

You may also enjoy baking the following:

Greek Butter Cookies

Greek New Year’s Bread

Happy Holidays!

Best in Health,

Mary 

© 2011 – 2023, Mary Papoulias-Platis. All rights reserved.

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Banana Wonder

Oooooo melomakarna is my arch nemesis! Although, every time I try to make it, it comes out weird. Yours looks fantastic! Xronia Polla!!

2 Bring Data

Melomakarona has long been my absolute favorite cookie! I’ve made them before, but I have to try your recipe, it looks awesome. Thanks!!

3 Mary Papoulias-Platis

Hi Judy,
I hope you enjoy it as much as my family has all these years

4 Nan

Hey Mary – how much flour do you recommend? I buy it in bulk or in a bag so I don’t know how much a box would be. Thanks!

5 Mary Papoulias-Platis

Hi Nan,
I buy 2- 32.oz. boxes of cake flour. Many times I use 2 1/2 boxes or 2 3/4, according to the weather.
Mary

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