Artemis’ Melomakarona
Honey, walnuts, orange and cinnamon - the most wonderful combination of flavours, that come together to create one of Greece’s most loved and celebrated biscuits - Melomakarona. While Melomakarona are traditionally made at Christmas time, my Mother has a batch of these sitting in her kitchen all year around. Of course, I think my Mother’s Melomakarona are the best I’ve ever eaten. Likely because she makes them with honey harvested from our beehives, which we always have an endless supply of. As the seasons change, so to does the flavour of the honey, depending on which blossoms the bees have collected the pollen from, which makes the flavour of the Melomakarona also change with the seasons.
They take time, patience, and care to make, which is why I love baking them on days when I want to slow down and savour the rhythm of the kitchen - lingering over each step, the process is as beautiful as the end result. I love the way the house smells after making a batch of these - the cinnamon, honey and orange wafts through each room and settles in the air for the next couple of days. And there is something very magical about that! It brings me an immense amount of joy sharing my Mother’s recipe with you, I hope you love making and eating them as much as I do.
INGREDIENTS FOR MELOMAKARONA
Makes 50-65 Melomakarona
Melomakarona Biscuits
250g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups vegetable oil
½ cup caster sugar
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
Zest of 2 oranges
2 teaspoons cinnamon
6 and ½ cups self raising flour
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Honey syrup
1 cup honey
½ cup sugar
1 cup water
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Finishing the Melomakarona
200g honey
300g walnuts, chopped coarsely
HOW TO MAKE MELOMAKARONA
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Place the butter, oil and sugar in a large bowl. Using the low speed of an electric mixer, beat until the ingredients have just combined. Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is very light and fluffy, and almost white in colour, for approximately 10-12 minutes. Add the egg whites and beat for a further minute. Add the orange zest and cinnamon and beat until just combined.
3. Change to a dough hook on your mixer (or use your hands). Alternating between the flour and orange juice, add a cup of flour to the mixture at a time followed by a splash of orange juice. Continue to do this until you have a dough that is soft to touch and no longer wet to handle. The mixture should come together easily when you hold it in your hand to form a ball. If the mixture is too dry add a little more orange juice. If it is too wet, add a little more flour.
4. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Using your hands form an oval shape using a small handful of dough, approximately 35g of dough. Place on the baking tray. Continue until the tray is full, leaving approximately 2cm between each biscuit, allowing space for them to rise and expand. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden in colour. Allow them to cool slightly before transferring them to a tea towel laid on a flat surface. Continue the process until all the cookies are baked and lined on tea towels.
5. To make the syrup, combined the honey, water, sugar and cinnamon in a small saucepan and stir over a medium heat until the ingredients have combined. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes and remove from heat. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, dip each biscuit into the syrup and place on a large platter. Continue with all the biscuits. Drizzle honey generously over the biscuits and top with chopped walnuts.