Home Cook Together. Celebrate Life.

GreekAuthentic Cuisine

Melomakarona

Serves 4 to 6 Pastry vegetarian, Breads & Pastry, Christmas

Melomakarona

Melomakarona are Greece’s sweet embrace of the holiday season, emerging from kitchens with the scent of citrus and spice. Traditionally baked during the festive days of December, these honey-soaked pastries find their way onto Christmas tables across the country. Each family treasures its own version, with olive oil poured liberally and lemons always at hand, embodying the warmth of Greek hospitality.

With a tender crumb and a fragrant kiss of cinnamon, melomakarona are drenched in honey syrup, their sweetness balanced by the subtle tang of orange juice. Finished with a sprinkle of chopped walnuts, they offer a delightful contrast of textures—soft, syrupy, and crunchy all at once—capturing the essence of the Greek festive spirit in every bite.

Ingredients

  • 500 gflour
  • 200 mlolive oil
  • 100 gsugar
  • 100 mlorange juice
  • 1 tspcinnamon
  • honey syrupto soak
  • walnutschopped, to finish

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). In a large mixing bowl, combine 200 ml of olive oil and 100 ml of orange juice. Stir in 100 g of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, mixing until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth. This will be the base for your dough, giving it a rich aroma and flavor.
  2. Gradually add 500 g of flour to the wet mixture, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon or your hands until a soft dough forms. The dough should be pliable and slightly oily but not sticky. If it feels too sticky, add a little more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until the texture is right.
  3. Take small portions of the dough, about the size of a walnut, and shape them into oval or oblong shapes, about 5 cm long. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving a little space between each piece to allow for slight expansion during baking.
  4. Bake the Melomakarona in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until they are a light golden brown. They should feel firm to the touch and have a slight crackle on the surface. This indicates that they are cooked through and ready for the next step.
  5. While the cookies are baking, prepare the honey syrup if not already done. Once the Melomakarona are out of the oven, let them cool slightly but not completely. Dip each warm cookie into the honey syrup, allowing them to soak for a few seconds to absorb the syrup's sweetness.
  6. Remove the soaked cookies with a slotted spoon and place them on a serving platter. Sprinkle generously with chopped walnuts while they are still sticky from the syrup, so the nuts adhere well. Serve the Melomakarona at room temperature, allowing the flavors to meld and the texture to set perfectly.
Cover of Authentic Greek Cuisine
From the cookbook

Authentic Greek Cuisine

This recipe is from Authentic Greek Cuisine by Yassine Sbiti — the Greek volume in the ComidaTime International Cuisines series.

Buy the cookbook on Amazon Explore Greek cuisine