Melomakarona (Honey Walnut Cookies)
What better way to kick off the festive season than with these honey-drenched delights – Melomakarona! These Christmas favorites are bursting with cozy holiday flavors like cinnamon, orange zest, and of course, honey.
Each of these oval-shaped cookies gets dipped in a simple honey syrup, then topped with a sprinkle of toasted walnuts and cinnamon. My version is made with spelt flour, extra virgin olive oil, and only sweetened with honey. They’re not too sweet, making them a great option if you’re dairy intolerant or trying to cut back on processed sugar.
A quick tip: while honey is a natural sweetener, it’s still best to enjoy sweet treats in moderation. If you prefer them less sweet, just dip them in the syrup for a shorter time.
These little gems are well worth a try this holiday season!
Melomakarona (HONEY WALNUT COOKIES)
Makes approx. 30 cookies
600g white spelt flour
½ cup semolina
5 tablespoons coconut sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
200ml extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup honey
250ml / 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 2 juicy oranges)
Finely grated rind of 2 oranges
Honey syrup
1 cup coconut sugar
1 cup raw honey
2 cups water
Walnut topping
50g walnuts
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F and line two baking trays with baking paper.
Place the flour, semolina, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl or into the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk the dry ingredients to combine and remove any lumps.
Place the olive oil, honey, orange juice and orange rind into a jug and mix well. Pour the liquid into the flour and mix until it forms a pliable dough. You can use the dough hook on a stand mixer as well. If dough is too sticky, add more flour.
Take tablespoon fulls of dough, roll into oval shapes and place them onto the baking tray, leaving some space in between. Bake for about 30 minutes until lightly golden and leave to cool for 10 minutes while you make the syrup.
For the syrup, add the water and honey into a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
For the walnut topping, toast the walnut halves in a dry frying pan for a few seconds just until you can start smelling the walnuts. Remove from the pan. Blend with the cinnamon in a small food processor until finely ground.
To assemble, generously dip each biscuit into the syrup, then place them onto a serving plate. Sprinkle with the walnut topping and repeat.
Store in an airtight container once they have cooled completely.
