Melomakarona are the king of Christmas sweets. They are traditional greek honey cookies topped with chopped walnuts.

Ingredients

45-50 pieces

Syrup

2 ½ cups sugar (500 g)

2 ½ cups water (500 g)

2 cups of honey (500 g)

1 cinnamon stick

Dough

1 cup of sugar

1 cup olive oil

1 cup sunflower or corn oil

½ tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp baking powder

1 cup orange juice

1 tsp soda

Zest from 2 oranges

5-6 cups of flour (550 g)

Grated walnuts

Directions

Bring the syrup to a boil, stirring to melt the sugar and honey, for 3-4 minutes and discard the foam that comes out

Leave aside to cool

Dough

Place the sugar, olive oil and sunflower oil in a large bowl and beat them with a mixer or wire whisk

Add the baking powder, cinnamon and orange zest

stir the soda into the orange juice, over the bowl because it will bubble and overflow. and add it all into the bowl

Slowly add the flour so that it becomes a soft dough that does not stick to the hands (if needed, add a little flour) Do not knead too much

shape into an oblong oval shape and press them a little to make them even

We put them on the tray with baking paper and make a pattern with the fork on top of each biscuit so that they can be well honeyed

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 15-18 minutes until they become a dark color

As soon as they come out of the oven, put the biscuits directly in the cold syrup for 1 minute and turning over for another minute (putting several in the pot at a time)

place them on a large plate and add grated walnuts on top

** the syrup cold and the biscuits hot

** they don’t want alot of kneading