Honey cookies with walnuts

Melomakarona is a traditional Greek cookie that is soaked in a syrup of diluted honey, and sprinkled with crushed walnuts. The Greek name for them translates to "honey macaroons", however, they are nothing like the traditional macaroon. The trick is to make them soft but not soggy, light but not falling apart.

Honey cookies with walnuts (melomakarona)

• makes

  40

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  50 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• ½ cup water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 whole cloves
• 4-5 cups self-raising flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 cup grape seed oil
• ½ cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• ½ tsp clove powder
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 cups walnuts, roughly chopped, to garnish
• cinnamon, to garnish

Syrup

• 2 cups honey
• 1 cup water

The following recipe has been tested and edited by SBS Food and may differ slightly from the podcast.

Instructions

Place the water, cinnamon stick and whole cloves in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Remove and discard the cloves and cinnamon, reserving the liquid.

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Sift the flour and baking powder in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the oil, reserved liquid, sugar, cinnamon powder, clove powder and orange juice. Mix well to dissolve the sugar. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing continuously, until a dough forms. Knead with your hands (the dough should not be sticky).

Take a small portion of dough and form an oval-shaped cookie. Transfer to a tray lined with baking paper. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Bake the cookies, in the preheated oven, for 30–40 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Place the honey and water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for at least 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Dip the cookies into the syrup to soak for about 3 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and walnuts. Let the cookies rest on the platter for a while before serving. (Do not leave them too long as they will become soggy.)

Text © 2012 Maria Benardis

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.