Melomacarouna

melomacarona

Melomacarouna are a popular Greek cookie often enjoyed at Christmas.  They are crumbly spice cookies that have been soaked in warm honey and then sprinkled with finely chopped walnuts. The recipe for this cookie is the perfect example of why we started this project to document family recipes.  This is what my mother’s recipe for Melomacarouna looks like:

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Thanks to six years of Greek school, I can decipher most of this.  There are lots of good things here, actually. Real measurements in “κούπες” (cups),  “κουταλιές της σούπας” (tablespoons) and “κουταλιτσες” (teaspoons).  You can see she has adjusted the recipe over the years, eliminating eggs and honey from the cookie dough and adding a bit more sugar. Some of the measurements are a little fuzzy, like the lines about “λίγη” (a little) cinnamon and clove, but nothing too difficult to overcome.  That is what I thought, until I flipped the notecard over and realized there are no instructions about what to do with the ingredients, and then further realized there is no mention of flour AT ALL.  When I asked my Mom how much flour to use she said “όσο παίρνει” (as much as it takes).  Umm, okay…obviously we had some work to do here. She still scoffs at our need to measure things, but I think she’s getting used to it. Here’s what I learned (exact measurements are listed in detail in the full recipe):

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To start with you will need: flour, vegetable oil, shortening, orange juice, cognac, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and sugar.  Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves in a medium bowl and set aside.

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In a large bowl combine the oil, shortening, orange juice, baking soda, sugar and cognac and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. I love this giant stainless steel bowl. Does every Greek mother have a few of these?  They always cook in such large quantities that normal sized mixing bowls just don’t cut it.

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Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time.  After adding about 3/4 of the flour mixture you will need to use your hands because the dough will become too thick for the mixer. If you cut this recipe in half you might be able to use a stand mixer.  And you will still have a lot of cookies. :)

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Form cookies by taking about 1 tablespoon of dough and rolling it between your hands into an elongated oval like the ones in the photo above (lower left). Gently run the tines of a fork across the top of each raw cookie  - don’t press down on the dough as you don’t want to flatten the cookies too much.
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Bake cookies in the lower half of the oven for 15 minutes or until just starting to brown, then move the cookie sheet to the top half of the oven and cook for 15 minutes more. In this picture the cookies on the top rack have baked for 15 minutes and have just been moved up to continue cooking.  The cookies on the bottom rack have just been placed in the oven.
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The cookies are done when they are a golden amber color. Let the cookies cool completely before moving on to the next step.

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Bring honey and water to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat off and skim off any white foam that may have formed on the surface of the honey.

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Drop 5 or 6 cookies into the warmed honey. The cookies will float to the top.  Turn the cookies over gently to be sure the honey is soaked in on all sides. After about 1 minute, remove the cookies from the honey using a slotted spoon. Repeat until all cookies are drenched in honey.

Melomacarona

Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Let cool before serving.

Melomacarouna  (Spice cookies dipped in honey)

Source: Athena Merianos and Toula Costopoulos

Makes about 6 dozen cookies

2 cups vegetable oil
3 tablespoons Crisco shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
1.5 teaspoons baking soda
3 tablespoons of Metaxa (cognac)
7.5 cups flour
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3 cups honey
1/2 cup water
2 cups finely chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium sized bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves and set aside.
In a large bowl combine oil, shortening, orange juice, baking soda, sugar and cognac and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a bit at a time.  After adding about 3/4 of the dry ingredients you will need to use your hands because the dough will become too thick for the mixer.
Line a few baking sheets with parchment paper.
Take about 1 T of dough and roll it between your hands until it forms an elongated oval shape.
Gently run tines of a fork across the top of each raw cookie  - don’t press down on the cookie as you don’t want to flatten it.
Bake cookies in the lower half of the oven for 15 minutes or until just starting to brown, then move the cookie sheet to the top half of the oven and cook for 15 minutes more. The cookies are done when they are a golden amber color. Let the cookies cool completely before moving on to the next step.  The cookies can be made ahead up until this point and stored in an airtight container for up to 2 months (that is not a typo – Greek cookies have a crazy long shelf life).
Combine the honey and the water in a medium sized saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil.  Turn off the heat and remove any white foam that may have formed on the surface of the honey.  Drop 4 or 5 cookies into the warmed honey. The cookies will float to the top.  Turn the cookies over gently to be sure the honey is soaked in on all sides. After about 1 minute, remove the cookies from the honey using a slotted spoon. Repeat until all cookies are soaked in honey. After the first couple of batches, you may need to turn the heat on low to keep the honey warm during this process.
Sprinkle with finely chopped walnuts. Serve at room temperature.
Can be stored in an airtight container for several weeks.

 

4 thoughts on “Melomacarouna

    1. Matina K Psyhogeos

      You are doing great, Kouzina Cousins!!!! If you can cook like Athena and Toula you’ll be ready for a TV show: The Best Chefs in Greek Cooking!!!!” The recipes are great and the subtle humor a very tasty ingredient!!! Love it!

      Reply

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