Finikia (Greek syrupy cookies)
Finikia are a delightful variation of the classic melomakarona, made in various forms across Greek islands, with roots tracing back to Asia Minor. This traditional Christmas treat is ideal for the Nativity fast. According to the Mount Athos tradition, olive oil is permitted only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and weekends during the Christmas fast, making these finikia a fitting dessert choice on these days. Below, you’ll find an authentic monastic recipe for syrupy finikia, simple to prepare and rich in festive flavor.
We start with the syrup so that it has time to cool.
We boil the water with the sugar for a few minutes, the we remove from the heat and add the honey.
We dissolve the soda in the orange juice.
In a large bowl, we beat the sugar with the olive oil and the corn oil with a whisk or mixer.
Then, we add the orange juice mixture, cinnamon, lemon zest and nuts and mix.
We slowly pour into our mixture as much flour as is needed to have a soft dough and knead for a while with our hands.
We shape the dough into long, narrow sticks and cut them diagonally with a knife.
We put the finikia in an oiled pan and bake them in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about half an hour.
When they are ready, we pour the cold syrup on the hot finikia, so that they absorb all the syrup.
We nail each finiki with a clove and sprinkle with walnuts.
We don't knead the dough too much because the finikia will harden.
We sieve the flour for a better result.
Preferably, we bake in the air. If we don't have air, we bake on the resistances by placing our pan it the lowest position.
