TRADITIONAL GREEK MELOMAKARONA, THE HEALTHY WAY!

Melomakarona are, along with Kourabiedes, the top traditional Christmas sweets in Greece. They are cookies made from the combination of flour, honey, and olive oil, and they also usually contain orange zest and/or juice, cinnamon, a beverage, such as cognac, and, lastly, sugar. However, sugar is not a must at this recipe, as the rest of the ingredients add sweetness and unique flavor to these traditional treats. So, why not trying out the sugar-free version, to make your X-mas dessert guilt-free?

For the cookies

• 100 gr. oats
• 100 gr. ground almonds
• 80 gr. ground walnuts
• Some ground walnuts for serving
• 90 gr. honey
• 40 gr. olive oil
• 80 gr. of your favorite nut butter, such as almond butter
• Juice from half an orange
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon clove
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

For the syrup:

• 500 ml water
• ¾ or 1 cup of honey
• 1 cinnamon stick/ 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• The remaining orange juice

Instructions:

1. Mix the nut butter with the orange juice, the olive oil, and the honey.
2. Add the almonds, the walnuts, the oats, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and baking powder.
3. Leave the dough for 20 minutes in the fridge
4. Then, make the Melomakarona with your hands, and make small holes on them with a fork, so that you can add the syrup later.
5. Bake at 160 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, until they get a brownish color. When you take them out you will see that they will be a bit soft, just let them cool off.
6. In the meantime, boil the water with the honey and the spices until they become one.
7. Dip the Melomakarona in the hot syrup for 3 seconds and take them out with a slotted spoon.
8. Garnish with ground walnuts
9. ENJOY!