Melomakarona

by Cat, Nov 2008 (Photo, right, from Gourmed.com (1))

Melomakarona (pronounced meh-loh-mah-KAH-roh-nah), also called Phoenikia (pronounced fee-NEEK-yah), is a wonderful honey-dipped spice cookie from Greece. It took me years to learn how to pronounce them, but the name has great rhythm, and just makes you feel good as it rolls off the tongue (not to mention how good they taste on your tongue).

The primary ingredients are semolina, sugar, spices, orange juice & zest; after baking, the cookies are drenched in a honey syrup then sprinkled with ground nuts. They are very intense in flavor so I recommend making the cookies small.

• Includes: 1. About the cookie; 2. Melomakarona Standard Version, as tested; 3. Melomakarona Pre-Soak Flour Version (not yet tested)
• See also: 1. Melomakarona: Source Recipes & Testing for My Recipe; 2. Melomakarona (printable pdf version); 3. Orange Semolina Cake; 4. Cookies Menu

About this wonderful cookie

I once lunched nearly every day at Berbati’s, a wonderful Greek restaurant in Portland, OR, where I used to live.  It is owned by several brothers and sisters, whose parents came from the island of Berbati.  When they first opened, they served both lunch and dinner, and I ate lunch there almost every day, as it was only a short walk from my office.  Often I was the only lunch customer (dinners were popular), so one or the other of the brothers would come out of the kitchen bearing a decorative plate with several melomakarona, a pot of Greek coffee and a couple cups.  He’d sit and talk with me; one brother loved to talk about books and movies; the other about food, family and Greece.

When they stopped serving lunch, I had to find another place to go (tho I still went there for dinner from time to time).  As a gift for my patronage and friendship those many months, they gave me the family recipe for melomakarona.  Unfortunately, it is packed away in a box in a Portland storage unit with all my other Portland things.  So I’ve researched the internet to develop a similar recipe (see Melomakarona: Source Recipes for My Recipe ).

Melomakarona Recipes

The key to these cookies is the use of semolina flour for part or all of the total flour, to get the desired coarse-grained texture (see Wheat (about) and scroll down to ‘Semolina,’ to learn more).  Olive oil and honey are also critical, as are the spices cinnamon and clove, and the ground nut topping (walnuts, almonds or pistachios).  Orange Semolina Cake is a similar treat in cake form (without the spices and nuts, though you could add them).

To shape the cookie, take about 2 Tbsp dough and form it into a 2″ ball or a 1″ x 3″ oval.  Flatten slightly and place on cookie sheet, leaving about 2″ between each cookie.

After baking, allow them to cool slightly, then using a slotted spoon, dip in the honey sauce and roll in ground nuts.

Melomakarona: Standard Version

This recipe, based on the recipe from Greek Food, About (1), makes 24 – 30 cookies if you make them large.  However, I prefer them smaller (they are so rich!), about 2 Tbs dough each, which yields at least 40 cookies. See also Melomakarona: Source Recipes & Testing for My Recipe

I choose to replace the 1 cup sugar in the batter with stevia and honey (reducing the liquid accordingly), and to use part unbleached white flour, part whole wheat pastry flour, in addition to the semolina.  Based on Testing, I’ve increased the total amount of flour (whole wheat, white and semolina) from 4 to 5 cups.

Note about flours: Semolina is a course-grained white flour (with a light tan color) that is important for the right texture and flavor of the cookie, and is a given. For the remaining flour, I recommend  a combination of Organic unbleached white all-purpose flour and Organic whole wheat pastry flour (or whole spelt flour, but you may need more flour or less orange juice if you use spelt). Semolina

If you want a lighter-colored cookie, you could use white whole wheat flour (a hard wheat) instead of the whole wheat pastry flour (soft wheat), or use all white all-purpose flour (you may need to adjust the amount if you use all white flour). If you use no whole grain flour, there is no point to trying the pre-soak version of the recipe, as it benefits the nutritional value of whole grain flours only.

Note about sugar: I prefer to use unrefined dried sugar can juice, such as Rapadura (Rapunzel brand Organic Whole Cane Sugar). I don’t like Sucanat because the grind it too coarse and hard to mix into the batter. One time I tried Coconut Crystals (coconut palm sugar), but it is way too molassas-ey and overwhelms the other flavors in the cookie, so I don’t recommend it either. If you cannot find Rapadura, white sugar cane sugar is you best option (do not use white sugar that does not say ‘cans sugar’ because it is made from GMO sugar beets.

It is best to mix this dough with your hands, a type of kneading. To knead: squeeze portions of dough through your fingers, working entire dough several times.

See also melomakarona (pdf) for a printable version of this recipe.

Equipment:

• baking sheets
• 1-cup glass measure for liquids
• large mixing bowl
• cooling racks
• wide heavy-bottomed pan (such as a chicken fryer)
• simmer plate (if needed)
• large serving plate
• waxed paper and tins

Cookie batter recipe (amounts updated per Testing)

• 1-2 oranges (for ½ cup juice if using stevia and honey, or ¾ cup if using sugar)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup Rapadura* or white cane sugar (or ½ tsp powdered stevia extract plus ¼ cup honey, added separately) *(Rapadura is unrefined, dried sugar cane juice)
• 2 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose white flour
• 1 ¼ cup semolina flour
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• 1 ½ cups mild olive oil
• ¼ cup brandy

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease baking sheet (or use baking parchment).
2. Grate the zest from one orange; set aside.  Then squeeze the juice.  You will need ½ cup juice if using stevia and honey, or ¾ cup if using sugar.
3. Dissolve baking soda and stevia (if using) in the juice.
4. Put flours, semolina, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar (if using) in a bowl; whisk with a fork or egg whip until well-mixed.  Make a well in the center.
5. Add oil, honey (if using), brandy, zest and orange juice (as measured above) to the well.  Stir to combine, then knead in bowl (squeezing portions of dough through your fingers, working entire dough several times) until it sticks to your hands and is very smooth, about 10 – 15 minutes.
6. Take about 2 Tbsp dough, squeeze from one fist to the other several times until the portion is very smooth, then roll in your hand into a ball or oval (like an egg).  Place on prepared cookie sheet, about 2″ apart; press slightly on top of each (do not flatten).
7. Bake on middle rack of oven, one sheet at a time, until browned, about 15 – 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and transfer cookies to racks to cool.

Syrup and topping recipe

Corning Ware Electric Fryer

This requires a wide, somewhat shallow pan that will allow the cookies to soak in the syrup, and be turned over to soak some more. I use my old Corningware Chicken Fryer (photo, right, from Blue Cornflower (5)). It’s handy because it controls the temperature of the syrup.

This makes a lot of syrup, perhaps more than you need, but it can be stored in a mason jar with lid, in your refrigerator.

• Syrup:
• 2 cups filtered water
• 2 cups Rapadura sugar
• 2 cups honey
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 3 – 4 whole cloves
• grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)
• Topping:
• ½ – ⅔ cups finely chopped walnuts or almonds

1. Finely-grind nuts (for topping) and set aside.
2. When cookies are cooled, make syrup: Put water, sugar and honey in a wide pan.  Add cinnamon stick, whole cloves and lemon zest (if using).  Bring to boil over medium-high heat (325°F).  As soon as it starts to boil, skim off any foam that rises to the top, and toss.  Boil for 2 – 3 minutes, then turn heat to lowest possible simmer (2000F, or use simmer plate).  Remove cinnamon and cloves.
3. Add as many cookies as will fit on the bottom in one layer, into the pan of hot syrup.  Using a spatula, hold them down for 1 – 8 minutes, depending on how syrupy you want them to be.
4. Remove cookies with slotted spoon, letting some syrup drip.  Place on large plate in layers, sprinkling each layer with chopped nuts before adding another layer.

Storage

• • Do not refrigerate cookies.  Cover well with waxed paper and store in tins (or other airtight containers) to keep them from drying out.  When kept airtight, these are great keepers, lasting weeks to months, if needed.
  • Refrigerate leftover syrup in a jar, to be reheated for another batch of cookies.

Melomakarona Cookies: Pre-Soaked Four Version

I have no idea if this method will work, as I have not yet tested this. If you try it, please let me know how it goes.

I hope there is enough liquid (between OJ, honey and oil) to soak the whole wheat pastry flour. The OJ provides the acidic environment for the presoak.The baking soda should not be added until the second day, as it would neutralize the acid, inhibiting the presoak.

If this pre-soak mix is too soupy, mix in some of the semolina flour to thicken.

Cookie Batter Recipe

• Pre-Soak
• 1-2 oranges (for ½ cup juice if using stevia/honey; or ¾ cup juice if using sugar; and zest of 1 orange)
• 2 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
• ¼ cup brandy
• 1 ½ cups mild olive oil
• Next day:
• 1 – 1 ¼ cup semolina
• 1 – 1 ¼ cup unbleached white flour
• 1 cup sugar (or ½ tsp powdered stevia extract plus ¼ cup honey)
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Syrup: see standard recipe, above
• Ground nuts: see standard recipe, above
• Equipment:
• See standard method, above, plus a sheet of bakers parchment or waxed paper

Method

1. Pre-soak: Grate zest from the orange; set aside in covered container for the next day.  Then squeeze ½ cup juice (or ¾ cup if using sugar instead of stevia & honey; reserve 1 Tbsp to dissolve the stevia on next day).
2. Stir brandy into the juice.
3. Place  flour in bowl; add juice mixture and olive oil and mix, working dough through fingers as described for standard version above.
4. Press sheet of oiled bakers parchment or waxed paper against the surface of the dough.  Let rest 12 hours or overnight on the counter.
5. Next Day: Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease baking sheet (or use baking parchment).
6. Sift 1 cup white flour with baking soda and spices into bowl; stir in reserved zest, semolina and sugar if using.
7. If using stevia, stir it into the reserved 1 Tbsp orange juice, to dissolve, then stir that into the honey.
8. Stir dry ingredients into soaked flour, adding the honey mixture. Let rest about 10 minutes (for the soda to neutralize the acids).  Make a well in the batter.
9. Stir, then knead dough in bowl (squeeze portions of dough through your fingers, working entire dough several times) until it sticks to your hands and is very smooth, about 10 – 15 minutes.
10. Take about 2 Tbsp dough, squeeze from one fist to the other several times until the portion is very smooth, then roll in your hand into a ball or oval (like an egg).  Place on prepared cookie sheet, about 2″ apart; press slightly on top of each (do not flatten).
11. Bake on middle rack of oven, one sheet at a time, until browned, about 15 – 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and transfer cookies to racks to cool.
12. When cookies have cooled, prepare hot syrup as in standard recipe above. Soak cookies in syrup, turning them over as needed. Then remove with slotted spoon to plate, and sprinkle with ground nuts as instructed in above recipe.

 References:

1. Greek Food (about) recipe (greekfood.about.com/od/dessertspastriessweets/r/melomakarona.htm)
2. Gourmed recipe (gourmed.com/recipes/child-friendly/melomakarona-creek-christmas-olive-oil-cookie; Photo: (gourmed.com/sites/default/files/styles/node-image/public/melomakarona.jpg (Original recipe link no longer valid: gourmet.gr/greek-recipes/1/17/417/Melomakarona.htm)
3. Recipe Zaar recipe (Update Jun 2014: Original link, recipezaar.com/Melomakarona-A-Greek-Christmas-Cookie-76498 goes to Greek Food.com, greek.food.com/recipe/melomakarona-a-greek-christmas-cookie-76498)
4. Santorini recipe (santorini.com/restaurants/recipe_melomakarona.htm)
5. Blue Cornflower photo, (bluecornflower.com/electromatics/electromatic-trays.htm)
6. Gourmet Sleuth, gram-to-cup conversion (gourmetsleuth.com/gram_calc.htm)