Melomakrona (Honey Semolina Biscuits)
Melomakrona (Honey Semolina Biscuits) is a traditional Greek recipe for a classic spiced olive oil, beer and semolina dough biscuits (cookies) made with flour that are dipped in honey syrup before serving and which are traditionally served at Christmas time. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Greek version of: Honey Semolina Biscuits (Melomakrona).
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
20 minutes
Total Time:
40 minutes
Makes:
44
Rating: 
Tags : Vegetarian RecipesBaking RecipesGreece Recipes
This is a classic Green biscuit (cookie) that is traditionally served of the Christmas period.
Ingredients:
360ml light olive oil
100g butter, at room temperature
250ml lager-style beer or 250ml orange juice
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
finely-grated zest of 2 oranges
200g sugar
225g fine semolina (cream of wheat)
720g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
For the Syrup:
300g sugar
360ml Greek thyme honey
250ml water
80g walnuts, finely chopped
Method:
Combine the olive oil, butter, beer (or orange juice), cinnamon, cloves, orange zest and sugar in a bowl. Beat this mixture until well blended.
In a separate bowl, sift together 120g of the flour with the baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add this mixture to the oil mix and stir to combine.
Now add half the semolina, mixing well to combine, before adding the other half. Finally work in enough of the remaining flour (adding it 120g [1 cup] at a time), until you end up with a firm dough. The dough will be quite hard to mix, and the work is best done with your hands.
Turn the dough onto a floured work surface, cut into pieces and roll these into sausage shapes about 5cm long and 3cm in diameter. Flatten the tops with your hands, then transfer to a baking tray that has been greased with a little oil (this needs to have a rim).
When all the dough pieces are done, transfer to an oven pre-heated to 170°C and bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
In the meantime, mix together the sugar, honey and water in a pan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring gently over low heat for about 4 minutes (during this time skim off any foam that forms on the surface).
When the biscuits are ready, remove from the oven and immediately pour over the hot syrup. Set aside to cool until the following day.
Transfer the biscuits to a serving dish and scatter over the finely-chopped walnuts. Either serve immediately, or store in an air-tight tin until needed. These will store for several months and in traditional households they were made in large batches that would even keep up until Easter.
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