Baking with olive oil: Greek Christmas cookies with honey and orange

Baking with olive oil: Greek Christmas cookies with honey and orange

No butter, no eggs. Except for the honey (which could be replaced by a plant-based syrup), you're well on your way to a vegan treat based on the best of seasonal ingredients...

Citizens of Soil olive oil biscuits with honey and orange

 

We're talking bright, zesty citrus. We're talking freshly harvested extra virgin olive oil. We're also talking nuts and sesame, so it's got all the winter hits.  

Introducing Melomakarona (μελομακάρονα), a traditional Greek Christmas cookie. Maria, the woman who owns our olive groves, sent us this recipe and photos around New Year's Eve with the following overview:

"Biscuits made with olive oil. No butter, no eggs. Dipped in a honey, sugar and water syrup. Topped with fresh nuts and sesame."

Citizens of Soil dipping olive oil biscuits

Background:

The 6th of January marks the end of the Christmas season, with celebrations and treats all across the Mediterranean world taking place today—the traditional "12th Day of Christmas".

And while most of us in the UK have already been thrown back into the realities of work and a new busy year, we're trying to ease back in with some seasonal sweets to soften the blow.

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

This makes about 60 pieces.

For the biscuit mixture:

  • 4-6 cups of flour (soft) *Maria mixes measurement styles, but she said less than a kilo, though you'll need some for rolling.
  • 1 cup of semolina (fine)
  • 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup of sunflower oil
  • 1 cup of orange juice
  • 3/4 cup of sugar
  • 3 tablespoons of honey
  • Zest from one orange
  • 1 shot of cognac
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

 

For the syrup:

  • 1/2 to 1 cup of honey
  • 2 cups of sugar
  • 2 cups of water
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • Some orange peel
  • Cloves could be added here

 

To top:

  • 1 espresso cup of ground nuts (your choice, but walnuts and sesame are great here)
  • Cinnamon, to your taste

Here's the method:

  • Put the bicarbonate of soda in the orange juice and mix it until it foams, then add in the honey and cognac. 
  • Mix all of the rest of the mixutre ingredients in a separate bowl, then combine with the orange mix. 
  • Start kneading, shape into biscuits (but don't overwork the dough here!). You're looking for an egg / walnut-size that you form into an oblong shape with your hand.
  • Tip: Don't make them too hard because they won't absorb the syrup.
  • Place on a baking tray on top of parchment paper, then pierce 2-3 times on top about half way through the dough.
  • Bake at 180C for 15-20 minutes.
  • Make the syrup for dipping by mixing all the ingredients in that list *except for the honey* and boiling for 3-4 minutes. Add honey after this point and let cool. 
  • Dip the biscuits in the syrup in batches for about 1 minute (not too long as you don't want them to fall apart / get soggy). Remove with slotted spoon to remove excess syrup.
  • Top with ground nuts and cinnamon as you like.

Results: "The house will smell like Christmas in Crete!!"

—Recipe & 📸  by Maria Amargiotaki, the owner of our single estate EVOO from Crete.

Are you making this? Share with your fellow citizens. Tag us in your photos on Instagram at @CitizensofSoil.

You may also like...

Fragrant Corn Chowder

Time to welcome the cosy season with a steaming bowl of goodness! This recipe comes to us from the 2023 Green Michelin Star winning restaurant championing all things seasonal and sustainable—Apricity in Mayfair. With this steaming bowl of chowder, their team says "Adieu!" to summer salads and welcomes the arrival of luscious, harvest-time dishes like this one. It will pair beautifully with any punchy extra virgin olive oil like our Spanish one or Croatian ones. Here's the method: Serves 3-4 ...


Don't Drizzle. Pour!: A Q&A with Johnny Madge

In the depths of early lockdown when we really couldn't leave our homes, I was desperate to taste and learn more about olive oils. We had our oil from Crete, and some others I'd been able to find in the UK, but I needed something extra... Enter Johnny Madge, an international judge and one of the leading olive oil "tasters" in the world (more on that later)—and one of the most passionate ones I've met to date. After a guided virtual tasting with a selections of oils he sent us from his favour...


The Ultimate Andalucían Travel Guide

Discover a more "tranquilo" approach to travel with our guide to Spain's sunny south. We're talking what to eat, where to go, and why you’ll love it... “Those who don't have too much of a plan are often the ones that have the best time. When some travellers get frustrated with the late eating hours or shops closing for siesta, I tell them to be a trout, not a salmon.” — Alexis Kerner, international olive oil judge and sommelier based in Sevilla. Andalucía beckons the curious traveller. Co...


@citizensofsoil

FOLLOW US
x