Makes 20-25 pieces
ACTIVE TIME: 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
For the melomakarona
-
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 3 tbsp Metaxa
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup chopped cashews
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
For the syrup
-
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/4 cup honey
- juice from one lemon
For the peanut butter
- 4 cups peanut butter morsels
- 1/4 olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 380o F.
- In a large bowl mix the olive oil, vegetable oil, Metaxa, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves.
- In a glass, we mix the orange juice and the baking soda and we pour it in the mixture. We beat until well combined.
- We add the flour and the baking powder and we knead with our hands until everything is combined and a stiff, wet dough forms.
- Let the dough rest for 20-25 minutes.
- Pull off a walnut-sized piece of dough and shape it into a ball in your hands, then place it on a baking sheet. Use a fork to flatten the dough and make a criss-cross pattern on it. Keep shaping and flattening balls of dough until it is all used up.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cookies are lightly browned.
- Let them cool and make the syrup. Combine the honey, sugar, water, and lemon juice in a saucepan, then bring to the boil. Boil for about 10 minutes until the syrup has thickened slightly.
- Float the melomakarona in the syrup a few at a time, count to 10 and turn them over to make sure they soak up plenty of liquid. Wait 10 more seconds and, take them out with a fork.
- Melt your peanut butter by using a bain-marie: take a pot, fill it with water 3/4 of the way and bring it to a boil. Place a bowl on top of the pot and the water so that the bottom is submerged in the water. Add the peanut butter morsels and the oil in a bowl. The boiling water will ensure your peanut butter melts without burning.
- Dunk each melomakarono in the melted peanut butter and roll it around until it is fully covered.
- Sprinkle some nuts into the top.
- Let them cool.