Melomakarona A Greek Christmas Cookie Recipes

Steps:

• Put the corn oil, butter, beer (or orange juice), cinnamon, cloves, orange peel and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until they are thoroughly blended.
• Sift about one cup of flour with the baking soda, baking powder and salt and blend into the oil mixture.
• Add the semolina, a cup at a time, into this mixture.
• Add enough of the remaining flour, a cup at a time, until you get a rather firm dough (you may need a bit more or less than the amount of flour mentioned in the ingredients list).
• Use your hands to do the mixing, as an electric mixer will be useless after the first two or three cups of flour have been added.
• Roll the dough into cylinders, about two inches long and one inch in diameter, flatten them with your hands, and place them on cookie sheets that have been greased with a little olive oil.
• Bake at 350 degree Fahrenheit for half an hour.
• Remove the cookies from the oven and pour hot syrup over them.
• Lay the cookies out in a rimmed baking pan large enough to contain them and pour the hot syrup over the cookies, sprinkle them with the chopped walnuts and let them soak overnight.
• (Alternatively, if you do not have enough rimmed baking sheets to accommodate all the cookies, you can dip them in batches directly into the hot syrup - keeping the syrup at the lowest possible simmer - and allow to soak in the syrup for 8-10 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon).
• For the syrup: mix the sugar, honey and water, and bring to a boil.
• Cook on low heat for four minutes and skim off the foam that forms on top.
• The next day put them on your prettiest platter, sprinkle each layer evenly with the finely chopped walnuts and wrap with plastic wrap (or put in an airtight container) and serve.
• These are great keepers and will last for months (my Mom's 'big' batches sometimes made it nearly up until Easter!).

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Whisk flour, cinnamon, baking powder, cloves, baking soda, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Beat butter in a separate bowl until light and fluffy; add sugar and mix well. Beat egg yolks and orange juice together in another bowl. Stir egg mixture into the butter mixture; add flour mixture slowly, mixing after each addition. Add honey. Mix until a soft dough forms.
• Chill dough until firm enough to work with, about 30 minutes. Shape into small ovals and place a few inches apart on baking sheet sheets. Flatten slightly; cookies will spread.
• Bake in the preheated oven until light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat honey, water, and sugar together in a saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved. Let syrup cool. Mix walnuts, cinnamon, and cloves together in a bowl to make the topping.
• Dip cookies into the cooled syrup for 10 to 15 seconds per side. Sprinkle walnut topping over syrup and let dry completely. Store in muffin cups or between layers of parchment paper.

Steps:

• Cream butter and oil until completely mixed, add confectioner's sugar, add orange juice slowly, add vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, add 2 cups flour and beat, add two more cups flour, and then add the rest. You may not need all of the flour, just don't let it get too thick, knead the dough lightly in the bowl.
• Using teaspoon, scoop out some of the dough and roll in your palms and flatten slightly in your hands. Bake at 350 for 25 minute and cool.
• Boil syrup ingredients for 5 minute in LARGE saucepan, as it will foam up, then dip each cake (I do several at one time) in the saucepan, turning a couple of times with a wooden spoon, place the cookies on waxed paper and sprinkle with walnut and cinnamon mixture. Cool completely before storing. Best stored in tins. These cookies will keep in tins for a couple of months, but I can't stay out of them long enough to last that long!