A batch of eggless Melomakaronas - Greek Holiday Cookies includes ground spices, orange juice and olive oil in the dough and a honey syrup coating for a sweet bite. These oval shaped cookies are light and buttery and truly melt in your mouth and lightly spiced thanks to the syrup that brings out the spices in the cookies.
Table of Contents
What are Greek Holiday Cookies?
Greek Holiday Cookies are traditional treats that are often enjoyed during festive occasions in Greece. These delightful cookies are known for their distinct Mediterranean flavors and unique shape.
Ingredients and substitutions for Greek Holiday Cookies
- Butter: Unsalted butter is used for the cookie, but if all you have on hand is salted, that works as a fine substitute, just leave out any salt suggested in the recipe.
- Sugar: Confectioners or icing sugar dissolves into the cookies, helping create the melt-in-your-mouth texture and the superfine or caster sugar helps create the sweetness in the syrup without adding any additional flavor.
- Orange juice: You only need a small amount here which helps add a depth of flavor and is a traditional ingredient in these cookies.
- Flour: Plain or all purpose flour is best for a nice light cookie crumb.
- Baking powder: This helps our cookies rise so they are not stodgy.
- Ground spices: The spices add that subtle holiday undertone to these cookies.
- Olive oil: The most traditional oil included here thanks to the fact olives and Greece have a long history and extra virgin olive oil is full of fruity undertones which pairs perfectly with the flavors in these cookies.
- Walnuts: Raw walnuts are the traditional ingredient to top our cookies. The recipe creates a large enough portion of the walnut topping that even with the amount on the cookies in my images, you'll have a portion left over. You could definitely halve the amount here and create a more traditional quantity on top of your cookies.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Greek Holiday Cookies:
Step 1: Wet base: Place the butter, olive oil and sugar beat until pale.
Step 2: Juice: Add the orange juice and ground spices, combining until smooth.
Step 3: Dry ingredients: Toss in the flour and baking powder and stir to form the dough.
Step 4: Shape: Take a scoop and roll into a ball then shape and place onto a lined baking tray.
Step 5: Prongs: Press a fork into your cookies to create 9 even prongs in the dough.
Step 6: Bake: Bake until golden and cool.
Step 7: Syrup: Meanwhile, cook the syrup on low until thickened. Pour into a bowl.
Step 8: Walnuts: Add 3 tablespoons of the syrup into the walnuts and stir.
Step 9: Dip and soak: Once lukewarm, dip one cookie into the mixture, turning and soaking completely for 30 seconds.
Step 10: Drain: Remove carefully from the syrup and place onto a lined cooling rack to set.
Step 11: Top: Sprinkle a pinch of walnuts on top.
Step 12: Serve up: Enjoy!
FAQโs for the best Greek Holiday Cookies
Absolutely! While Greek Holiday Cookies have traditional flavors, you can add your own twist to the recipe if you prefer. Experiment with different spices, nuts, or even drizzle over melted chocolate to create unique variation of these cookies.
More Holiday cookies you'll love
Greek Holiday Cookies (Melomakaronas)
Ingredients
Cookies
- 120 grams / 4.23 ounces butter room temperature
- 75 grams / ยพ cup confectionerโs/icing sugar
- 150 milliliters / ? cup - 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil 135 grams
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ยฝ teaspoon ground cloves
- 30 grams / 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 360 grams / 2 ยผ cups plain flour
- 6 grams / 1 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder
Honey syrup
- 250 milliliters / 1 cup water
- 150 grams / ยพ cup superfine/caster sugar
- 126 grams / ยฝ cup + 2 tablespoons honey
- 14 grams / 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Walnut topping
- 115 grams / 1 cup walnuts finely chopped
- ยฝ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 180C/350F and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Place the butter, olive oil and sugar into a medium bowl and beat on medium until pale, approximately 3 minutes.
- Add the orange juice and ground spices, combining until smooth.
- Toss in the flour and baking powder and stir until the dough forms.
- Take a scoop or tablespoon and roll into a ball then shape into a nice oval by pressing the sides inwards and pressing between your hands to flatten out.
- Place onto your baking tray, allowing 1 inch gap between your cookies.
- Press a fork into your cookies to create 9 even prongs in the dough.
- Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until golden.
- Remove and allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before placing on a cooling tray and allowing to cool completely.
Honey syrup
- Meanwhile, place the honey, water, sugar and lemon juice into a saucepan on low heat.
- Stirring until thickened, approximately 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add in 3 tablespoons of the syrup into the walnuts, stirring to combine.
- Allow the syrup to cool to lukewarm before dipping one cookie into the mixture, turning and soaking completely for 30 seconds.
- Remove carefully from the syrup and place onto a lined cooling rack to set.
- Repeat with the remaining cookies.
- Sprinkle a pinch of walnuts on top.
- Serve up.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Sugar: Confectioners or icing sugar dissolves into the cookies, helping create the melt-in-your-mouth texture and the superfine or caster sugar helps create the sweetness in the syrup without adding any additional flavor.
- Orange juice: You only need a small amount here which helps add a depth of flavor and is a traditional ingredient in these cookies.
- Olive oil: The most traditional oil included here thanks to the fact olives and Greece have a long history and extra virgin olive oil is full of fruity undertones which pairs perfectly with the flavors in these cookies.
- Walnuts: Raw walnuts are the traditional ingredient to top our cookies. The recipe creates a large enough portion of the walnut topping that even with the amount on the cookies in my images, you'll have a portion left over. You could definitely halve the amount here and create a more traditional quantity on top of your cookies.
- Ice Cream Scoop: The scoop used here creates small cookies with a diameter of 4 centimeters or 1.57 inches scoop used here.
- Fork: To create the prongs in our cookie dough which helps the cookies soak up that syrup beautifully!
Nutrition
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