Forget Chocolate Chip Cookies: Greece’s Melomakarona Just Ranked No. 2 in the World

Greek Melomakarona Rank No. 2 Among the World’s Best Cookies

Greece’s beloved melomakarona have claimed second place in TasteAtlas’s world cookie ranking. Discover their Christmas history and try this traditional honey-soaked recipe.

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Imagine a cookie that combines fragrant cinnamon, fresh orange, crunchy walnuts and golden honey in every bite. Now imagine that this traditional Greek Christmas treat has been ranked among the very best cookies in the world.

Meet melomakarona, Greece’s beloved honey-soaked cookies, which have earned the No. 2 spot in TasteAtlas’s latest ranking of the world’s best cookies.

For anyone who has tasted them fresh from a Greek kitchen, the recognition might not come as a surprise. For everyone else, it is the perfect excuse to discover one of Greece’s most irresistible festive traditions — and perhaps make a batch at home.

Greece’s Christmas favorite earns global recognition

According to TasteAtlas’s list of the world’s best cookies, updated on October 15, 2026, melomakarona received a rating of 4.3 out of 5, placing them second internationally.

The top spot went to Vánoční cukroví, the collective name for traditional Czech Christmas cookies, which received a score of 4.4. Algeria’s makroud el louse followed in third place, while Argentina’s alfajores and the Netherlands’ stroopwafels also featured among the highest-ranked treats.

The ranking reflects ratings submitted by TasteAtlas users. It is not a definitive scientific verdict on which cookie is best, but it offers an appealing snapshot of the traditional sweets people around the world appreciate.

And Greece has plenty to celebrate: melomakarona are not simply a dessert. They are a familiar part of the country’s Christmas season, appearing in bakeries, homes and festive gatherings as the holidays approach.

What makes melomakarona so special?

Unlike the classic chocolate chip cookie, melomakarona are built around olive oil, citrus, warm spices and honey.

Their flavor comes from a combination of ingredients that are deeply familiar in Greek cooking:

• Honey: Creates the signature sweet, fragrant syrup that soaks into the baked cookies.
• Orange juice and zest: Add a bright citrus aroma that balances the sweetness.
• Cinnamon and cloves: Bring warmth and the unmistakable scent of the festive season.
• Olive oil: Gives the dough its characteristic richness without relying on butter.
• Walnuts: Provide a crunchy topping that contrasts with the tender, syrup-soaked interior.
• Semolina: Often included to give the cookies a distinctive crumb and help them absorb the syrup.

The result is a cookie that is crisp or firm on the outside, tender inside and infused with honey and spice.

TasteAtlas’s traditional melomakarona recipe highlights these classic ingredients, including olive oil, orange, cinnamon, cloves, semolina and honey.

A sweet tradition at the Greek Christmas table

In Greece, Christmas baking often means making room for two iconic treats: melomakarona and kourabiedes.

Melomakarona are the honey-and-spice cookies, while kourabiedes are buttery almond biscuits generously covered in powdered sugar. Both are associated with the holiday season, and many Greek families prepare or purchase them in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Their appeal goes beyond taste. These sweets are part of the atmosphere of the holidays — the smell of orange and cinnamon in the kitchen, trays shared with visitors and boxes of homemade treats offered to family and friends.

Recipes vary from household to household. Some cooks add cognac or brandy to the dough; others prefer a version without alcohol. Some use more semolina, while others rely primarily on flour. The syruping method also differs: some recipes dip hot cookies into cooled syrup, while others pour hot syrup over cooled cookies.

That flexibility is part of the charm. There is no single family recipe that every Greek household follows.

How to make traditional Greek melomakarona at home

Want to taste the cookies that made the global ranking? This home-friendly recipe produces aromatic, honey-soaked melomakarona topped with chopped walnuts.

<escape>Recipe at a glance</escape>

• Preparation: About 30 minutes
• Baking: About 20–25 minutes
• Total time: Approximately 1 hour 15 minutes, plus cooling
• Yield: Around 35–40 cookies, depending on size

Ingredients

For the cookies

• 320 g all-purpose flour (about 2⅔ cups)
• 125 g fine semolina (about 1 cup)
• 255 ml olive oil (about 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon)
• 105 g sugar (about ½ cup)
• 125 ml fresh orange juice (½ cup)
• 50 ml cognac or brandy (¼ cup), optional
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest, optional
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup finely chopped walnuts, optional for the dough

For the honey syrup

• 750 ml water (about 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons)
• 420 g sugar (about 2 cups)
• 360 g honey (about 1 cup)
• 1 cinnamon stick, optional
• A strip of orange peel, optional

For the topping

• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
• A little extra ground cinnamon, optional

Step 1: Prepare the dough

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and sugar. Add the orange zest, lemon zest and cognac or brandy, if using.

Dissolve the baking soda in the orange juice, then carefully stir it into the oil mixture.

Add the cinnamon, cloves, semolina and baking powder. Gradually incorporate the flour and, if desired, the finely chopped walnuts.

Mix gently until a soft dough forms. Do not knead the dough for too long. Overworking it can make the cookies dense rather than tender.

Step 2: Shape the cookies

Take small portions of dough and shape them into short ovals, roughly the size of a large walnut.

Place them on the prepared baking tray, leaving a little space between each cookie. Traditionally, the tops are decorated with a light pattern made by pressing them gently against a grater or using the back of a fork.

The pattern is not just decorative — it also gives the finished cookies their familiar homemade appearance.

Step 3: Bake until golden

Bake for approximately 20–25 minutes, depending on their size, until the cookies are firm and lightly golden.

Avoid removing them while they are still very soft. They need enough structure to absorb the honey syrup without falling apart.

Allow the cookies to cool completely if you plan to use the hot-syrup method below.

Step 4: Make the honey syrup

Place the water, sugar, cinnamon stick and orange peel in a saucepan.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for about five minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the honey until it dissolves.

Let the syrup become hot and fragrant. Remove the cinnamon stick and orange peel before using, if desired.

Step 5: Soak the cookies

Arrange the cooled cookies in a shallow tray or wide dish. Carefully pour the hot syrup over them, allowing it to reach all sides.

Let the cookies absorb the syrup for several minutes. If needed, turn them gently so they soak evenly. Avoid leaving them submerged for too long, as they can become overly soft.

For a different traditional approach, you can instead prepare a completely cooled syrup and briefly dip the freshly baked, hot cookies into it. Whichever method you choose, avoid handling them roughly while they are warm or saturated.

Step 6: Add the walnuts and serve

Transfer the syrup-soaked cookies to a serving plate and sprinkle generously with chopped walnuts. Add a small pinch of cinnamon if you like.

Allow the cookies to rest before serving so the syrup distributes through the crumb and the texture settles.

Enjoy them with Greek coffee, tea or a glass of milk — or simply on their own.

The secret to excellent melomakarona: Keep the dough mixing gentle, bake the cookies until properly set, and give the syrup time to soak in without turning them soggy.

Can melomakarona really beat chocolate chip cookies?

Taste is personal, of course, and a ranking cannot settle the debate over everyone’s favorite cookie.

But melomakarona offer something different from the familiar chocolate chip variety. They bring together the fragrance of citrus, the warmth of spices, the richness of olive oil and the deep sweetness of honey in a dessert with a long-standing place in Greek holiday traditions.

Their No. 2 position on TasteAtlas’s list is a welcome moment of international recognition for a treat that many Greek families have cherished for generations.

And with Christmas approaching, there is no better time to discover why these cookies are so loved.

So, the next time you are planning your holiday baking, consider adding a Greek classic to the list. One tray of homemade melomakarona might be all it takes to understand why they have captured the attention of cookie lovers around the world.

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Sources

• TasteAtlas — 100 Best Cookies in the World
• TasteAtlas — Authentic Melomakarona Recipe
• Greek City Times — TasteAtlas Ranks Greek Melomakarona Second Among the World’s Best Cookies

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