Bake a Batch of Finikia, the Honey-Soaked Greek Biscuits, for National Dessert Day

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This finikia recipe offers a sweet way to mark National Dessert Day on Wednesday 14 October: orange-scented semolina biscuits dipped in hot honey syrup and topped with chopped walnuts.

A finikia recipe for National Dessert Day

National Dessert Day falls on 14 October each year, according to National Day Calendar.

In 2025, Greek City Times marked the occasion with a semolina halva recipe, the simple 1:2:3:4 pudding of oil, semolina, sugar and water.

This year, the choice is finikia. The finikia recipe here comes from Allrecipes, where home cooks rate it 4.6 out of 5. It makes about five dozen biscuits, so there is plenty to share with family and neighbours.

Finikia sit very close to melomakarona, the honey biscuits that fill Greek homes at Christmas. In fact, many cooks use the two names for the same treat, although some families keep finikia for a slightly different, lighter version. Still, the shared flavours are clear: orange, cinnamon, cloves, honey and walnuts.

The name may also have deep roots. According to TasteAtlas, some trace the biscuits to ancient Phoenicia. Greek City Times has also reported on melomakarona’s place among the world’s top sweets, where finikia earn a mention as a close relative.

What goes into finikia

The finikia recipe has two parts: a soft biscuit dough and a spiced honey syrup. Here is the full shopping list for the finikia recipe, with metric amounts in brackets.

For the dough, you need:

• 1/2 cup (about 115 g) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• Grated zest of one orange
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) corn oil
• 2 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1 1/2 cups semolina
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and ground cloves
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) orange juice

For the syrup and topping, you need:

• 1 cup (250 ml) water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Each biscuit comes to about 100 calories, according to the Allrecipes nutrition panel. Because the dough uses both butter and oil, the biscuits stay tender, while the semolina gives them a light crunch.

How to bake and dip them

The finikia recipe on Allrecipes lists 45 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of baking, plus time for the biscuits to cool. Before you start, heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and grease two or three baking trays.

1. Beat the butter, caster sugar and orange zest in a large bowl, then slowly add the oil and beat until light.
2. Mix the flour, semolina, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves in a second bowl.
3. Add the dry mix to the butter mix in batches, alternating with the orange juice.
4. Once the dough thickens, tip it onto a floured bench and knead it until firm.
5. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls or ovals and space them 5 cm apart on the trays.
6. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden, then let them cool completely on the trays.
7. For the syrup, boil the water, sugar, honey, cinnamon stick and lemon juice for 10 minutes, then remove the cinnamon stick.
8. Dip each cool biscuit into the hot syrup until covered, set it on a wire rack and sprinkle with walnuts.

Put baking paper under the rack to catch the drips. Finally, store the finished biscuits in a sealed container at room temperature.

Tips from home cooks

Reviewers on Allrecipes say the orange and cinnamon pairing is what makes this finikia recipe stand out. One cook, Nick, wrote: “I followed the directions and they came out exactly like my grandmother’s.”

Several reviewers also shared advice on the syrup. In particular, one warned that boiling it for too long turns it into a hard, candy-like coating. Another said syrup that is too hot can make the biscuits fall apart, so his mother let them sit in it for only two or three seconds.

Patience helps as well, because the finikia recipe rewards a little waiting. The same cook noted that finikia taste better after a day, since the syrup soaks through evenly. Similarly, a third reviewer suggested freshly squeezed orange juice for a brighter flavour.

For a neater finish, one baker dipped the tops in syrup and then rolled them straight in the walnuts, so more nuts stuck. Overall, home cooks agree that the finikia recipe is worth the effort, whether for National Dessert Day or the Christmas table. Readers who want the festive cousin can try Greek City Times’ traditional melomakarona, while the original Allrecipes page lists every review and photo.

Source: Allrecipes

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