Melomakarona

Method

1. 1
   • white sugar 220 g
   • honey 250 g
   • water 2½ dl

   Make and cool the syrup — Make the syrup first. Bring the water, 160 g of the sugar and the honey to the boil in a saucepan, skim off any foam and simmer for 5 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave it to cool completely — cold syrup and hot cookies is what makes them drink.

   ⏱5 min
2. 2
   • olive oil 1¾ dl
   • orange juice 1 dl
   • orange zest 2 tsp
   • white sugar 220 g

   Whisk the oil and orange — Heat the oven to 180°C. Whisk the olive oil, orange juice, orange zest and the remaining 60 g sugar in a large bowl for a good minute, until the mixture turns pale and slightly thickened rather than separating into oil and juice.

3. 3
   • wheat flour 300 g
   • semolina 80 g
   • ground cinnamon 1½ tsp
   • ground cloves ½ tsp
   • baking powder 1 tsp
   • baking soda ½ tsp

   Fold in flour and semolina — Sift the flour, semolina, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves together, then stir the baking soda into the wet mixture. Fold the dry into the wet with a spatula, stopping the moment a soft, oily dough comes together — kneading it makes the cookies tough. Rest for 10 minutes.

   ⏱10 min
4. 4

   Shape and ridge the cookies — Shape the dough into 16 ovals about 6 cm long, flattening each one slightly, and space them well apart on two lined baking trays. Press the back of a fork lengthways along each top to make the traditional ridges.

5. 5

   Bake until dry through — Bake for 28 minutes, until the cookies are deep brown, firm to the touch and completely dry — an underbaked one turns to sludge in the syrup instead of soaking it up cleanly.

   ⏱28 min
6. 6

   Soak hot in cold syrup — Working with four at a time, drop the cookies straight from the oven into the cold syrup and hold them under for a minute on each side. They will hiss and sink slightly as they drink.

   ⏱2 min
7. 7
   • ground cinnamon 1½ tsp
   • walnuts 100 g

   Press on the walnuts — Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto a rack set over a tray and, while they are still tacky, press the chopped walnuts and a little extra cinnamon onto the tops so they stick.

8. 8

   Let them drink overnight — Leave them at least 2 hours before eating, ideally overnight. The syrup keeps travelling inward, and they are only right when the middle is as sweet and damp as the edges. They keep for a week in a covered dish.

   ⏱2 hr