Melomakarona - festive nut filled cookie delicasy - the classic greek recipe

Melomakarona is a traditional festive greek recipe mostly done on holidays like christmas or easter. They are similar to cookies and have a nut filling and glazed with honey syrup and nuts. Without the syrup you have a delicious cookie that is great for kids.

Ingredients:
1 kilo flour
1/2 kilo olive oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
grated peel of 1 orange
1 small cup of cogniac or brandy
1 cup of crumbled walnuts (don't crumble them too much so they can be chunky)
1 teaspoon grated cinammon and 1 teaspoon grated clove

For the syrup:
1 cup of fine honey
1 cup of sugar
3/4 cups of water

Instructions:
Beat the olive oil and sugar.
In the meanwhile mix the flour with the baking soda in a seperate bowl.
In another bowl pour in the olive oil and sugar mixture and mix in the cogniac, orange juice, orange peel, cinammon, clove and the flour gradually until you have a soft dough. Don't use all the flour if you think the dough will become too hard, the dough should be soft and not sticky. If it's too hard add some olive oil.
Form small oval shapes, fill with a whole or crumbled walnuts and place on a cookie sheet on a large pan and bake on 170 celcius for 20 to 30 minutes.
Let them cool before pouring the syrup on them.
For the syrup bring to boil the sugar, honey and water.
While it is still warm dip the cookies in the syrup one by one for as long as you wish depending on how syrupy you want them to be. Personally I prefer them less syrupy because they are more crunchy.
Drizzle with crushed walnuts and you are ready!