Melomakarona

Directions

Sift the flour and add the baking powder.
In another bowl, combine all the liquid ingredients: vegetable oil, olive oil, orange juice with dissolved baking soda. Add the sugar and mix well to dissolve the sugar (this will make the dough fluffy and not heavy). Once the sugar has dissolved, gradually add the flour and baking powder mixture. Start with a whisk and then use your hands. It's important to mix gently with as few movements as possible. Do not knead the dough for too long; just incorporate all the flour in about 4-5 gentle movements. The more you work the dough, the tighter it will become.
The dough should have a soft, pliable consistency and be oily. Allow it to rest, covered with plastic wrap, for about 20 minutes. During this time, the flavors and aromas will develop.
Start shaping the melomakarona. Have a bowl with the walnuts nearby. Take a small amount of dough and flatten it in your palm to form a small disc. Place a piece of walnut in the center and fold the dough around it, creating a small disk. Place it on a baking sheet. Continue until all the dough is used to make lovely melomakarona (about 20-25 grams each). Once a baking sheet is filled, lightly pierce the melomakarona on top with a fork. This will help them absorb the syrup more easily. Place the baking sheet in the oven at 160 degrees Celsius (320 degrees Fahrenheit) in a convection setting for about 20 minutes. Bake only one baking sheet at a time. You will know they are ready when they turn golden brown and detach from the baking sheet.
Allow them to cool completely.
For the syrup: Combine all the syrup ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once it boils, skim off any foam and reduce the heat to a simmer. Froth the syrup and begin dipping the melomakarona. Dip a few at a time to control the level of syrup absorption. For the size shown, 15 seconds is sufficient. At this point, I want to emphasize that I prefer the syrup to be warm and the melomakarona to be cold so they can soak properly, without becoming overly syrupy. However, if you prefer them heavily soaked, you can do the opposite by using cold syrup and dipping them in as soon as they come out of the oven.
Once dipped, place them on a wire rack and sprinkle them with crushed walnuts and Aegina pistachios.
Allow them to cool completely on the wire rack and then arrange them on a serving platter. You can now enjoy your melomakarona with the filled walnut!
Enjoy!