Melomakarona

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a bowl, combine the spelt semolina, spelt flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Lightly whisk through to sift. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the oil, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix well together.
3. Add orange juice and brandy and mix well.
4. Slowly add the dry mixture bit by bit to the larger bowl. The dough that forms should be one that’s dense and wet but not sticky and loose. You should be able to add all of the dry ingredients, but stop if you see the mixture starting to become too dry.
5. To roll cookies, pinch a portion of dough off about the size of a walnut. Shape in your palms into a smooth oblong shape, almost like a small egg. (Tip: Roll the dough on the reverse side of a grater to get a dimpled, consistent oblong shape.)
3. Fill an ungreased cookie sheet with as many cookies as you can
4. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until the cookies have a hardened and lightly browned outer shell.

For the honey syrup:
1. While the cookies are baking, combine honey, sugar, water, cinnamon, cloves and lemon rind in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over low heat and let simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes.
2. As the syrup simmers, crush and grind walnuts and place in a plate or bowl next to the saucepan. After 15 minutes of simmering, strain the syrup through a sieve and into a bowl and return to the saucepan. Add lemon juice and leave the syrup on a simmer.
3. Remove the cookies from the oven and carefully dip each cookie in the syrup. Allow the cookies to absorb the syrup and even spoon additional syrup onto the cookies.
4. Place the cookies on a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath (to catch dripping syrup) and sprinkle with the crushed walnuts. If you’d like, you can sprinkle additional cinnamon on top as well.

Recipe adapted from Just a Pinch.