We Make Melomakarona

Kourabies ... is a characteristic sweet widely spread throughout Greece that is classified in the traditional sweets such as melomakarono and that is usually prepared at Christmas. 
Its name is due to the Turkish "Kurabiye" cake made of flour, butter and powdered sugar. The basis of its success is the pure butter and the elaborate beating.

In the old days, before the mixer was invented, chocolate cakes needed a lot of work to be done because they were made by hand and they took a lot of effort. So this was not a dish that they would make at all hours but they made it on special occasions like weddings, christenings or other special occasions. They were traditionally flavored with rose water or flower water and later vanilla. They used local pure butter that they produced in each area and sometimes put roasted almonds inside. After baking them round or on a crescent moon, after baking, after cooling, they were sprinkled with rose water and then wrapped in powdered sugar, something that is not common nowadays. Over time, as everything evolves, other ingredients have been added such as brandy, mastic, ouzo. The most modern variations now include other non-traditional ingredients, such as rum, chocolate, pistachios. Melomakarona or melomakarouno is a Greek dessert made mainly from flour, oil and honey. 

It is classified like kourabiedes in the traditional national sweets that are considered essential in every Greek home, especially at Christmas time. Melomakarona in English is called "small honey cake".

Typical ingredients of melomakarona are flour and semolina, sugar, zest or orange juice, brandy, cinnamon and other spices, oil, honey and water.

Melomakarona

Materials:

For the dough

3 teaspoons oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon orange juice

1 cup of brandy tea

1 teaspoon cinnamon cloves

1 teaspoon baking soda

Flour as they rise

For the syrup

1 glass of sugar water

1 glass of honey water

1 glass of water

For sprinkling

Roasted almonds

Grated cinnamon and sesame

Implementation:

Beat the oil well with the sugar, orange juice, baking soda, brandy and cinnamon cloves.

After beating well, add the flour little by little until the dough is soft.

Shape the melomakarona into various designs and bake them in a medium oven. Make the syrup by boiling all the ingredients together for about 5 minutes. After removing the melomakarona from the oven, pour the boiling syrup over them in the pan and leave them until they absorb it.

Sprinkle with coarsely chopped almonds, cinnamon and sesame.

Source: Crete Cities and Villages