Koulourakia - Greek Easter Cookies
This simple Koulourakia recipe uses basic ingredients to create a buttery crisp cookie that is ideal for dunking in tea or coffee!
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup butter softened
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract can also substitute vanilla powder
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
For the egg wash:
- 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
- sesame seeds optional, can be sprinkled on top of the cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper [I do this with 2 cookie sheets and then reuse one of the cookie sheets for a 3rd batch].
- In a stand mixer (or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer), place the butter and beat for 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Separate the egg whites and yolks. Beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until they form stiff peaks. Set aside.
- Add the egg yolks to the butter mixture. Add the milk and vanilla extract as well and blend until everything is incorporated, being careful not to overmix.
- Mix the baking powder and flour together in a bowl.
- Slowly add the flour mixture and egg whites a little at a time, alternating between flour and egg whites until everything is incorporated [do not overmix- once everything is incorporated, stop mixing].
- Scoop out 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough. Roll the dough out into a 8-9 inch rope (about 1/3 inch thick) on a clean, dry surface. If your dough is sticking to your surface, lightly flour it (but be careful not to add too much flour or you will dry out the dough).
- Fold the rope in half and twist it 3 times (see photos in the blog post above to see how to do this). Place the cookies on the cookie sheet, leaving a 2 inch space between them.
- In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg and the water to make the egg wash. Brush the cookies with the egg wash. If you are using them, you can also sprinkle some sesame seeds on top of the cookies.
- Bake the cookies for 18-20 minutes or until they begin to brown on the bottom (and lightly brown on top). Let them cool on the pan for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
Calories: 89kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 57mgPotassium: 36mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 48IUCalcium: 38mgIron: 1mg
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
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