MARINA SIRTIS
THE OFFICIAL SITE
MARINA'S GREEK CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES
MELOMAKARONA (Honey spice cookies)
INGREDIENTS
• 2 lbs all purpose flour
• I cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 3 cups oil (I never use olive oil)
• 3 tsps baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• Chopped walnuts
• 2 tsps Cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
SYRUP INGREDIENTS
• 3 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups honey (Greek if you can get it)
• The peel from an orange
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a large bowl mix the oil, sugar and soda. Add the cinnamon and cloves.
2. Add all the other ingredients apart from the flour and mix well.
3. Sift the baking powder into the flour and add them to the mx. You should have a cookie dough texture.
4. Shape into ovals (about 2 inches long) and put on a lined cookie sheet.
5. Using a fork dipped in water flatten each cookie a little.
6. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
While they are cooling make the syrup.
1. In a saucepan bring all the ingredients apart from the honey to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Add the honey and make sure it fully melts.
3. Put the cooled cookies in the hot syrup for a minute or so and remove the with a slotted spoon.
4. Sprinkle with cinnamon and the chopped walnuts.
KORAMBIETHES (A kind of shortbread cookie)
INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups of unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 tbsps of brandy
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 5 cups of sifted all purpose flour
• 3 cups of icing (confectioner's) sugar
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
1. In an electric mixer or with an electric hand held whisk, beat the butter and sugar until it s light and fluffy.
2. Very gradually add the egg yolks, then add the almonds, brandy ,vanilla and flour into which we have sifted he baking powder.
3. You should now have a dough that you can roll out to about 1 inch thick.
In Greece we shape the cookies into rounds but using cookie a cutter you can make all sorts of Christmas shapes.
4. Put on lined cookie sheets and bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.
Don't let them get an darker than golden
5. Now just drown them in icing sugar
If you don't want to put alcohol in your cookies, that's ok, but they will lack a certain something
6. Toss in 1 1/2 cups peeled almonds, toasted lightly and coarsely chopped
Enjoy!