Melomakarona (Honey Cookies) with ATTIKI island thyme honey

Directions          

Put all ingredients for the syrup in a pot and boil for 5 minutes on medium heat. Skim the foam off the syrup and set aside to cool down. In a bowl mix the zest of one orange and the lemon, with the fruit juices, cinnamon, clove, cognac, vanilla, water, soda and baking powder. In the mixer, on low speed, mix the olive oil with the sugar for 1 minute, then add the mixture you prepared and the semolina. Finally, gradually add the flour and knead carefully for no more than 1 minute, just until a dough is formed. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Start shaping the melomakarona. To make even-sized, calculate 20 gr of dough for each one, form with your palms into an oblong shape put don’t use too much pressure. You can use a fork to create lines on the surface. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, line up the melomakarona, leaving enough space between them because they will rise, and bake at 170°C for 25 minutes. When you take the melomakarona out of the oven put them immediately into the cold syrup, remove them with a slotted spoon, and put them on a rack to cool down. Finally, arrange the melomakarona on a platter, sprinkle with coarsely chopped walnuts and drizzle ATTIKI island thyme honey over them.