Monday 17 December 2018

Sticky and sweet

The aroma wafting through our house today is not the smell of stale ashes and wood smoke but the tempting, delicious scent of rosewater, cinnamon, oranges and cloves.

The traditonal greek Christmas sweets around here are kourabiethes and melomakarona. 

 Kourabiethes - 
light and crumbly almond biscuits, sprayed with rosewater and covered in powdered sugar (icing sugar)

Melomakarona -
made with oil, brandy, (koniak), orange juice, cinnamon and cloves.  These are dipped in a honey syrup and covered in crushed walnuts





Many little hands make light work



The two younger grandaughters came to help mix and shape the biscuits/cookies
The boys are no longer interested in domestic stuff


Oranges from our trees in the garden


The first batch of almond biscuits are rolled in icing sugar


And sampled


These exotika are popping up everywhere.  This one is a tealight holder.  Scandanavian culture is popular this year.  First we had hygge and now we have their exotika 


Melomakarona before and after
The ones on the tray at the bottom have just come out of the oven.  The first batch was a slight disaster.  They were left in the honey syrup too long and fell too pieces.  Can't give those away.  We'll have to eat them ourselves!  Only a 'few thousand' calories and a 'kilo' of sugar in each one


And a pile of kourabiethes
There is no sneak-eating of these little delights.  The icing sugar gets everywhere and if it doesn't just linger on the lips and chin, you'll find fine white dust sticking to your clothes.  Not easy to say 'no Mum, I didn't eat one, wasn't me'.

Small boys find great delight in holding them up and blowing powdered sugar all over your face.  Avoid 'boys' of all ages when in the firing line of fine-sugar coated sweets







12 comments:

  1. If we could smell the photos ... everything looks wonderful.

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    Replies
    1. You would love that sweet smell. Oh boy, it's hard to resist

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  2. Ooh my goodness, they look scrumptiously delicious.
    And I bet your kitchen smells like Christmas :)
    Hugs,
    ~Jo

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    Replies
    1. Yes, that's the smell of Xmas here. Now I'm going to make some mince pies, for me

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  3. Replies
    1. They smell wonderful. Now I have to give them away as soon as possible so they don't sit there calling to me

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  4. This is why my wife regrets not having any granddaughters, grandsons are not interested in such things; at least ours aren't.

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    Replies
    1. Granddaughters are very useful at the age ours are, pre teen. The boys could be persuaded to take part in these traditions when they were younger. No longer though. They'd rather be outside doing wheelies on their bikes

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  5. My favourites. Right there. I don’t make them anymore because well I eat them
    And now days everyone is on a diet so if I do get a craving I buy just one at a cafe and have it with coffee.
    Much less damage done that way but home made ones are the best

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So much safer to buy only one! I'm giving them away as fast I can but I
      Hubby wants a big plate of them on the table.
      My daughter made some with half the sugar and honey and made them half the size. They're great. I'll do that next time

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  6. Those look so good! Powdered sugar definitely tells the tale!! -Jenn

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    Replies
    1. And you quickly brush it off but it still leaves a tell tale shadow .

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