Melomakarona

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients: All-Purpose Flour, Fine Semolina, Granulated Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Cloves, and Salt.

In a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients: Extra-Virgin Olive Oil and Vegetable Oil with Orange Juice, Orange Zest and Brandy; if the mixture seems thick, add a little Water to loosen it so it pours easily.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix gently until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms; avoid overworking the dough so the cookies stay tender. Chill the dough 20–30 minutes if it feels too loose to shape.

Form the dough into ovals or small rounds with slightly flattened tops and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about an inch apart.

Bake until golden brown and aromatic, about 20–25 minutes depending on size, rotating the sheets once for even color. Remove from the oven and let cool briefly on the baking sheet.

While the cookies bake, make the syrup: combine granulated sugar and Water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add Honey, a Cinnamon Stick, a few whole Cloves, and strips of Orange Peel. Simmer gently 10–15 minutes until slightly thickened and fragrant, then remove from heat and discard the whole spices and peel.

When the cookies come out of the oven and are still warm, drop them a few at a time into the warm syrup and let them soak briefly (10–20 seconds) so they absorb syrup but do not fall apart. Transfer soaked cookies to a rack or shallow tray to drain and cool.

Once the melomakarona have absorbed syrup and cooled slightly, generously top each with chopped Walnuts, pressing lightly so the nuts adhere. Optionally sprinkle a little extra ground cinnamon for garnish.

Serve at room temperature. Store any leftovers in an airtight container — the flavors will meld and improve after a day.