These stuffed Melomakarona are Greek spiced honey cookies, which are filled with white chocolate, walnuts and raspberry jam.
I used the Mandarin Melomakarona recipe I made two years ago, which was a twist to the recipe in my cookbook Mint, Cinnamon & Blossom Water, Flavours of Cyprus, Kopiaste!, which I think is perfect, but each year I love to experiment with the filling.
Stuffed Melomakarona
This year, I melted some white chocolate in which I mixed some toasted walnuts and raspberry and blueberry jam and a couple of drops of raspberry essence.
I made the cookies into balls which were weighed around 35 grams each.
I then flattened the ball into a disc and added 1 teaspoon filling. I then folded the dough around the filling to form a round or oblong cookie, making sure to enclose the mixture.
I then turned the melomakarono over and on the side without any seam, and formed a pattern on top.
To do this you can use a box grater or a fork.
When they are baked the chocolate melts inside and penetrates the dough making these Melomakarona delicious and the flavour is divine!
My Kourabiedes this year were also filled with the same mixture as above. You can find the basic recipe here.
Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, filled with Happiness and Peace on Earth!
You can find my Greek recipes in my cookbooks «More Than A Greek Salad», and«Mint, Cinnamon & Blossom Water, Flavours of Cyprus, Kopiaste!» both available on all Amazon stores. Read more here.
Melomakarona Stuffed with White Chocolate, Raspberry Jam and Walnuts
Melomakarona are Greek, spiced cookies, made with olive oil, drenched in a honey syrup and walnuts are sprinkled on top. This time they are stuffed with white chocolate, toasted walnuts and raspberry jam!
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 250 grams good quality mild olive oil
- 230 grams sugar
- 30 ml fresh mandarin juice
- 30 ml mandarin liqueur
- 950 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 - 2 tbsp mandarin zest (only a very thin layer)
- ½ tsp powdered cloves
- ½ tsp powdered cinnamon
For the syrup:
- 400 grams sugar, (almost 2 cups)
- 500 grams citrus blossom honey
- 2 cups water
- 1 lemon peel
- 1 piece of whole cinnamon
Filling:
- 180 grams white chocolate
- 200 grams toasted walnuts, pulsed in a food processor
- 120 grams raspberry and blueberry Jam
- 2 - 3 drops raspberry essence
Additional Ingredients:
- 150 grams coarsely ground walnuts
- 4 - 5 tbsp Citrus honey
Instructions
- Start by preparing the syrup by adding sugar, honey, water, cinnamon stick and lemon peel in a pot Mix and bring to a boil It will soon bubble and form
froth Reduce heat, skim and simmer mixing a couple of times, for 8 - 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside. - Sieve the flour and mix with the mandarin zest, cloves and cinnamon.
- Beat the olive oil and sugar well for about 10 minutes on high speed. Mix the baking soda in the mandarin juice and add to the mixture (be careful as it will bubble). Add the Grand Marnier.
- Change to the K paddle or to the dough hook and add the flour mixture gradually until the dough does not stick to the hands (If your mixer does not have the above paddles, use your hands).
- Melt the chocolate in a bain Marie.
- Preheat oven to 180o C / 350o F and toast the walnuts for about 15 minutes, until fragrant. Let them cool for a while and then pulse them in a food processor. Add them to the melted chocolate, together with the jam and essence and mix.
- Line a baking tin with parchment paper and taking some dough the size of a large walnut, shape melomakarona round and then slightly flatten it. (I weighed each ball to be around 35 - 37 grams).
- Add 1 tsp filling and fold around the filling to form a round or oblong cookie, making sure to enclose the mixture Turn the melomakarono over and on the side without any seam, press the cookie on a box grater or an egg cutter horizontally and vertically, to form a pattern on top.
- Place them on the baking tin spaced apart and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, depending on your oven, or until they just start to get a light colour.
- When they are baked, dip them, while still hot, in the syrup for about 1 - 2 minutes Turn them over and remove with a slotted ladle in a colander until they cool.
- Place them in a platter, drizzle some raw honey on top and add lots of walnuts on top.
Nutrition Information
Yield 60 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 243Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 1mgSodium 28mgCarbohydrates 39gFiber 1gSugar 26gProtein 3g
"These values are automatically calculated and offered for guidance only. Their accuracy is not guaranteed."
Christmas Desserts
Looking for inspiration for this Christmas?
Gingerbread Cookies with Carob Syrup
These gingerbread cookies are made with carob syrup instead of molasses and perfect to add to your Christmas cookies recipes.
Diples
Diples (pronounced diip-LESS), which means folded, is another traditional Christmas sweet pastry, made in many parts of Greece especially in the Peloponnese. These are the desserts they serve at weddings, christenings, engagements etc. but are also very popular during Christmas.
Melomakarona with Chocolate
Melomakarona are spicy Christmas olive oil and semolina cookies drenched in a honey syrup and sprinkled with walnuts on top.
Mandarin Melomakarona
"Melomakarona" (honey cookies) is a traditional recipe made during Christmas. The cookies are made with olive oil and drenched in a honey syrup, with lots of walnuts on top.
Traditional Greek Baklavas
The traditional Greek baklavas, is made with many layers of thin sheets of "phyllo kroustas",  which are brushed with butter, with various kinds of nuts and spices added between the layers and sweetened with honey syrup.
Eggless Nanaimo Salepi (Sahlab) Bars
Nanaimo Bars are a classic Canadian Christmas dessert. They are made with a chocolate biscuit base, coconut, and walnut crust then topped with a layer of custard and topped with chocolate.
Christmas Chocolate Wafer Coconut Roulade
This Christmas Chocolate Wafer Coconut Roulade is made with a biscuit base crust and is filled with pastry cream, topped with chocolate ganache.
Christmas Chocolate Carob Yule Log (Bûche de Noël)
A Yule log (or bûche de Noël in French, is a traditional Christmas dessert made of a yellow sponge cake which is shaped into a roulade in order to create a chopped branch.
White Christmas Fruit Cake
Ever since the British occupation of Cyprus, Christmas cake has been a big part of our holiday celebrations. Many families have a traditional recipe for a Christmas Cake and ours is no exception.
Traditional Christmas Cake
A traditional Christmas cake recipe which is filled with homemade fruit preserve, as well as nuts, raisins brandy and treacle.
Vanillekipferl (Christmas Almond Crescent Cookies)
Vanillekipferl are cookies which originate from Austria and can be found in many other countries such as Germany, Hungary and otheer Eastern European counties.
Chocolate Kourabiedes
These chocolate kourabiedes are made with buffalo milk butter and cocoa powder and filled with dark chocolate and orange preserve.
Easy Chocolate Truffles from Christmas Leftovers
These truffles are an ingenious way to use up leftover kourabiedes, melomakarona, Christmas Cake, or Cookies.
Melomakarona with Pecans
Melomakarona with Pecans are one of our Christmas traditional cookies which are infused in honey. They have no butter, no eggs, nothing dairy but they are so tasty you cannot just eat one.Â
Kourabiedes by Parliaros
These kourabiedes are adapted from the famous Greek pastry chef, Stelios Parliaros.
Aromatic Greek Kourabiedes
These aromatic Kourabiedes (Greek Christmas cookies) are flavoured with vanilla and citrus blossom water.
Melt in your mouth Kourabiedes
Kourabies (pl. kourabiedes) are the Greek shortbread cookies made during Christmas. In the older times, before the use of the mixer, these cookies needed elaborate preparation and that was done by hand, so these were made for special occasions such as weddings, christenings and other celebrations.
Black Lava Orange Gateau, A gourmet dessert made out of leftovers
This Black Lava Orange Gateau, is easy to make and was made out of leftover Christmas Cookies. Everyboday gets fed up of eating the same cookies for many days, so I decided to use my leftovers and make a new dessert which we enjoyed after the holidays!
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!
Rosa
Wednesday 23rd of December 2015
A heavenly treat!
Happy Holidays and best wishes for the New Year, dear!
Cheers,
Rosa
Ivy
Thursday 24th of December 2015
Thank you Rosa. Same to you!
Angie
Wednesday 23rd of December 2015
Those stuffed cookies look scrumptious, Ivy. The white chocolate walnut filling sounds really tempting. Happy Holidays to you and your family, Ivy. Angie
Ivy
Wednesday 23rd of December 2015
Thank you Angie. Same to you!