Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil or canola oil
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup ouzo
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 cup of fine semolina
2 and 1/2 cups of plain flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon clove powder
Method:
Sift baking powder with flour
Beat sugar and oil, add all ingredients and mixing to make a dough
Shape by taking a small fist full of dough and making a short oval shape
Bake on baking paper for about 30 minutes
Do not make them too big, as they will not cook on the inside
Remove put them on a cooling rack
Makes syrup
Syrup:
2 cups of water
2 cups sugar
1 cups honey
1 stick cinnamon
5 whole cloves
1 star anise
1-2 teaspoons rosewater
Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil for about 5 minutes on a slow heat
Take off heat and take out spices
With a slotted spoon dip each melomakarono in the syrup while still hot for a few seconds and line up on a platter in layers sprinkling each layer with walnuts
When cooled they can be covered
*Top with coarsley ground walnuts.
Note: When cooled, store in an airtight container and they will keep for a fortnight.