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 […]

If I were pressed to name one Greek cookie that reminds me of Christmas, this would be it. This is an oil-based cookie recipe that produces moist cake-like cookies flavored with orange and brandy that are bathed in a sweet honey syrup and topped with chopped walnuts. This recipe was given to me by my Thea […]

MELOMAKARONA ME ELAIOLATHO This is one Peloponnesian version of a traditional Christmas cookie. The region’s telltale ingredient, olive oil, replaces butter in this recipe. Sometimes, Greek cooks will do that—replace butter with oil, that is—to transform a sweet into something permissable for fasting. In the Peloponnesos, though, the use of olive oil is the norm rather than the exception. Ingredients: For […]

Melomakarona Yemista me Sousami Melomakarona (also called “phoenikia”) are a traditional Greek cookie, a favorite at Christmas. Most recipes call for the cookie to be dipped in a honey-based syrup, but this recipe calls for a powdered sugar, nut, and spice topping. Since they have no syrup, they can be easily stored in tins or plastic […]

Melomakarona Yemista me Sousami In Greek, these honey spice cookies with sesame centers might be called “Stuffed Melomakarona with Sesame” or “Melomakarona from Rhodes,” where they have become famous. A winter holiday tradition (but delightful any time of year), these cookies bring in seasonal tastes and smells of cinnamon, cloves, and oranges. After baking, the […]

Christmas Recipes Christ or Christmas Bread – Christopsomo Christmas Bread – Christopsomo from Peloponniso Brandy Sugar Biscuits – Kourabiethes Syrup-Drenched Nut and Spice Cookies with Olive Oil Shortbread Cookies from Levithi Lenten Sugared Shortbread Cookies with Almonds Sugared Cookies with Almonds & Cinnamon Sugared Shortbread Cookies with Walnuts Christmas Pudding – Xristougenniatiki Poutinga Christmas Sesame […]

Recipes for Greek cookies include delicious voutimata (biscotti dunking cookies), sugary holiday confections, and those made with fabulous combinations of spices and nuts. Koulourakia – Greek Butter Cookies with Sesame The name for Koulourakia comes from their round twisted shape but you will also see them shaped as small braids or in the shape of the letter […]