Melomakarona — Greek honey-dipped Christmas cookies

i. Origin & history

The name joins méli (μέλι), honey, with makaróni. One frequently repeated theory traces the second word to the Byzantine makaria, a bread or cake offered at funeral meals, from makários, 'blessed'; over time, the story goes, honey was added and the sweet moved from mourning to celebration. It is an attractive explanation, though not firmly proven. What is clear is that honey-and-spice biscuits have a very long history in the Greek world.

In parts of Greece, especially the islands and Asia Minor tradition, they are called finikia (φοινίκια). That name is variously linked to the Phoenicians or to phoenix, the date palm, and some older recipes indeed used dates; again, the origin is uncertain. Today the two names are used for the same or very similar cookies.

Melomakarona are made in huge quantities in December and eaten through to Epiphany on 6 January. They are traditionally made with olive oil and contain no eggs or butter, which makes them suitable for the Nativity Fast, the forty days before Christmas when observant Orthodox Christians avoid animal products. That is part of why the two Christmas biscuits are so different: buttery kourabiedes are for the feast itself, and melomakarona for the fast that comes before it — though in practice both are eaten all season.

Every Greek family has its own proportions: more or less orange, a little semolina in the dough for crunch, cognac or Metaxa in the batter, thyme honey in the syrup. Greek emigrants have carried the recipe everywhere, and in Greek communities abroad the smell of honey syrup and cinnamon marks the start of the holidays.

ii. Why the dough is barely mixed, and the syrup goes on hot

Melomakarona dough is unusual: it is bound mostly with olive oil and orange juice rather than butter and eggs. Oil coats the flour very effectively, keeping the cookies tender and crumbly, but the dough is fragile. If it is kneaded or overmixed, the oil separates and the gluten develops, producing hard, greasy, flat cookies. The rule is to mix only until the dough just comes together and feels soft and slightly oily, like playdough.

The leavening is partly chemical theatre. Bicarbonate of soda is stirred into the orange juice, where it reacts with the acid and fizzes; that, plus baking powder, gives the cookies a light, porous crumb full of tiny holes. Those holes matter, because they are what let the syrup soak in.

Then comes the syrup, and again the rule is temperature contrast. Most Greek cooks let the cookies cool completely and dip them in hot, simmering syrup for 30 seconds to a minute; others pour cool syrup over hot cookies. Either way, the contrast lets the crumb draw in syrup quickly while keeping the outside from turning mushy. Dip too long, or put hot cookies in hot syrup, and they disintegrate; too briefly, or cold in cold, and they stay dry inside.

Honey is added to the sugar syrup only after it has boiled, so its aroma is not cooked away. A Greek thyme honey gives the most characteristic flavour. A little semolina in the dough — a common addition — makes the cookies crunchier and helps them hold their shape in the syrup.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 36 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 350 g sugar (syrup)
• 350 ml water (syrup)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 strip orange peel
• 200 g honey, ideally Greek thyme honey
• 250 ml mild olive oil
• 120 ml fresh orange juice
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 60 ml brandy or cognac
• 100 g caster sugar (dough)
• 2 oranges, zest only
• 550 g plain flour
• 80 g fine semolina
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• 150 g walnuts, finely chopped

Use a mild, fruity olive oil — a strong, peppery one dominates — or half olive and half sunflower oil. Fresh orange juice and zest are the main flavour. Fine semolina gives crunch; replace it with more flour for a softer cookie. Brandy (Metaxa is typical) adds aroma; orange juice can replace it. For a strictly vegan version, use a sugar syrup sweetened with date or grape syrup instead of honey. Mix the walnuts with a pinch of cinnamon for the topping.

iv. Method

1. Make the syrup first: simmer the sugar, water, cinnamon stick and orange peel for 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the honey. Set aside.
2. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F) and line two baking trays.
3. In a large bowl, stir the bicarbonate of soda into the orange juice; it will foam. Whisk in the olive oil, brandy, sugar and orange zest until combined.
4. Mix the flour, semolina, baking powder and spices. Add to the wet ingredients and stir gently with a spatula or your hand, only until a soft, slightly oily dough forms. Do not knead.
5. Take walnut-sized pieces (about 25 g), shape into ovals about 6 cm long and set them on the trays. Press the tops lightly with the tines of a fork or a grater for texture.
6. Bake for 22–25 minutes until golden-brown and dry. Cool completely on the trays.
7. Bring the syrup back to a simmer and keep it over low heat. Drop in 5–6 cookies at a time for 30–60 seconds, turning once, until they are glossy and have absorbed syrup but still hold their shape.
8. Lift out with a slotted spoon onto a rack over a tray, and sprinkle at once with chopped walnuts. Leave to dry for a few hours before storing.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Don't knead the dough. Overworked oil dough separates and bakes into hard, greasy cookies. Mix just until combined.
• Bake them dry. Underbaked melomakarona fall apart in the syrup. They should be golden and crisp before dipping.
• Hot syrup, cool cookies. The temperature difference lets them absorb syrup without dissolving.
• Time the dip. Thirty seconds for a lightly soaked cookie, a minute for a very syrupy one; longer and they turn soggy.
• Add honey off the heat. Boiling honey destroys its aroma and can make the syrup darken and taste bitter.
• Give them a day. Melomakarona taste better on the second day, when the syrup has spread evenly through the crumb.

vi. Variations

Finikia from the islands may use more semolina or a little wine in the dough. Stuffed melomakarona enclose a little walnut, cinnamon and honey filling. Chocolate-dipped melomakarona are a modern pastry-shop variation. Some cooks use butter or add tahini; others flavour the syrup with lemon or clove. A version with wholemeal flour is popular for a nuttier taste.

For the other Greek Christmas biscuit, see kourabiedes; for more Greek syrup sweets, try galaktoboureko and kataifi; and for spiced Christmas biscuits elsewhere in Europe, Dutch and Belgian speculaas.

vii. Serving & storage

Serve melomakarona piled on a plate beside kourabiedes, with Greek coffee, tea or a glass of sweet wine, through the Christmas season. They are offered to every guest and often given in boxes as gifts.

Once the syrup has set, store them in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 3 weeks, layered with baking paper. Do not refrigerate; the syrup crystallises and they harden. They can be frozen, before or after dipping, for up to 3 months; dipped ones may need a light re-brush of warm syrup after thawing.

ix. More from Middle Eastern

• Kourabiedes — Greek butter cookies
• Galaktoboureko — custard filo pie
• Kataifi — shredded-pastry rolls
• Honey Almond Cake — citrus almond loaf
• Sesame Honey Candy — pasteli-style bars
• Speculaas — spiced Christmas biscuits