Dough Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cup of fine semolina
• 1/2 a cup of flour
• 1 cup of olive oil
• 1 pack of unsalted butter
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/4 cup of brandy or cognac
• 1/4 cup of fresh orange juice
• 2 tbsp of orange zest
• 1 tsp of baking soda

Syrup Ingredients:

• 1 cup of honey
• 1/2 a cup of sugar
• 3/4 cup of water
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Garnishment:

• 1 cup of roughly crushed walnuts
• Cinnamon powder

Method:

• Pour the olive oil in the mixer bowl with the sugar and beat for about an hour.
• After beating the oil and sugar for an hour, add in the mixer bowl the baking soda diluted in the orange juice, the brandy and the orange zest.
• Add the semolina and flour a little bit at a time and beat it well until it becomes soft dough.
• Remove the dough from the mixers bowl and make the Melomakarona in cylindrical shapes about 3 inches long and place them in a lightly greased baking pan.
• With a fork press the top of the Melomakarona to break the round shape and make it uneven.
• Bake in a preheated oven to 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let them cool down.
• In the meantime prepare the syrup.
• Place all the ingredients in a large sauce pan and bring them to boil for about 10 minutes, making sure to stir so the sugar will melt and mix with the honey.
• Reduce the heat and dip the cold Melomakarona (3-4 at a time) in the syrup for about a minute.
• Remove them from the syrup with a perforated spoon and place them on a serving plate.
• Sprinkle your Melomakarona (Honey Cookies) with the crashed walnuts and powder cinnamon.