Vegan Melomakarona (Greek Christmas Cookies)

These vegan melomakarona are a delicious Christmas treat that will fill your kitchen with irresistible orange, cinnamon and nutmeg flavors. The cookies are also super easy and fun to make! 

Melomakarona are traditional Greek Christmas cookies that are soaked in a flavorful sugar-honey syrup. This is a vegan version that uses agave syrup instead of honey to make super delicious and aromatic cookies.

These vegan melomakarona cookies are perfect for sharing with family and friends, and they keep well for up to 3-4 weeks in an airtight container.

Since the only difference between these cookies and traditional melomakarona ones is swapping the honey for a vegan sweetener, they're likely to be enjoyed by vegans and non-vegans alike.

The cookies are first baked until golden and crispy, then soaked in an aromatic syrup and topped with chopped toasted walnuts.

Besides being extra tasty, these melomakarona cookies will fill your kitchen with some very Christmassy flavors!

Why you'll love these vegan melomakarona

• They’re super easy to make and incredibly delicious.
• Melomakarona cookies make a great gift for family or friends as they keep well for up to 3-4 weeks.
• They are perfect Christmas cookies with wintery flavors such as orange, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Ingredients and substitutions

Orange — You'll need the zest and juice of a large orange for these cookies. It's best to use an unwaxed orange if you can.

Sugar — Melomakarona cookies are typically made with white sugar, but you can use light brown sugar if you like.

Cinnamon — The cinnamon flavor is strong in these cookies! You'll need a cinnamon stick for the syrup and some ground cinnamon for the cookie dough.

Agave syrup — I used a light agave syrup to replace honey in this recipe. You can also use vegan honey or maple syrup. Since the agave syrup is not as thick as honey, you'll need to make sure you boil the syrup until it thickens so the chopped walnuts can stick to the cookies.

Flour — You'll need plain flour to make melomakarona, not the self-raising type.

Semolina — Fine semolina adds a nice texture to the cookies. If you don't have any, substitute with the same quantity of flour.

Olive oil — Extra virgin olive oil is best here.

Brandy — This adds a very Christmassy vibe to the cookies. If you don't cook with alcohol, skip the brandy and substitute the liquid with more orange juice.

Nutmeg — You can use ground nutmeg or grate your own.

Walnuts — I like to toast the walnuts before chopping and sprinkling them on the cookies.

How to make Greek Christmas cookies

Start by making the syrup. Combine the water, sugar, orange zest and cinnamon stick in a saucepan. Boil the syrup for 5 minutes over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves completely.

Turn off the heat and stir in the agave syrup. Set the syrup aside to cool while you make the cookies.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Combine the flour, semolina and baking powder in a large bowl.

In another bowl, combine the olive oil, brandy, orange juice, orange zest, sugar, vanilla essence, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg.

Add half of the flour mix to the olive oil mix. Mix with a spoon, then add the other half. Knead the dough gently by hand until smooth.

Mold the cookies into oval shapes, flatten them slightly with your palm, and place them on a baking sheet pan. Make sure you leave some space between them. You may need to use two baking sheets.

Use a fork to make a pattern on the cookies (make sure you don't flatten the cookies too much).

Bake the cookies for 20 minutes on the center rack.

Take the cookies out of the oven and soak them in the cold syrup. Do so in batches and flip them with a spoon to make sure they absorb enough syrup.

Remove the cookies from the syrup and place them on a tray or platter. Sprinkle them with chopped walnuts and serve.

Leftovers and storage of vegan melomakarona

• Melomakarona cookies will keep well for up to 3-4 weeks in an airtight container. they actually taste better after a while.
• If you want to freeze melomakarona, do so without the syrup.
• Allow the cookies to cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 4 months.

Recipe notes and tips

• Make sure the syrup has cooled down completely before soaking the cookies to avoid crumbling.
• Melomakarona are best served at room temperature, but they're also delicious straight from the fridge.
• If you think that extra virgin olive oil has too strong a flavor for these cookies, substitute it with a milder type of olive oil.

If you liked this melomakarona recipe, you might also like some of my other easy vegan desserts:

• Easy Vegan Rice Pudding
• Vegan Lemon Pistachio Cookies

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