Koulourakia (Greek Easter Cookies)

Greek butter cookies with a hint of orange that are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. This recipe is passed down from my husband’s great grandmother, YiaYia Foto, and is known as the perfect cookie for dipping in your coffee! This recipe makes a large batch that lasts for a couple weeks, so you’ll have a delicious morning treat every day!

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Christos Anesti! Happy Greek Easter (a day late…)! One thing I love about marrying into a Greek family is getting two Easters. That, and feeling like I’m living in My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding on occasion. Or sometimes a lot, haha.

Something I learned this year is that one of my favorite Greek cookies, koulourakia (or sometimes called koulouria/kouloudia), are traditionally an Easter cookie! So, during spring break, I dragged all of my photography equipment over to my mother-in-law’s house so my daughter and I could make some cookies with YiaYia.

This was actually my first time making these from beginning to end. I’ve helped roll them in the past (a full recipe makes a few hundred cookies, so you kind of need some help), but I’d never made the actual dough before.

The dough takes a bit of intuition, so I’ve provided as much information as possible in the recipe so you know when the dough is ready. You want it to be a little oily (weird, but it helps them bake to the perfect crumb). And it should pull away from the sides of the mixer and be roll-able into a rope.

An easy way to know if the dough is ready is to pull a piece off and roll it between your fingers. It should be able to hold its shape if you roll it out—not fall flat, but not be like rolling out sugar cookies.

How to make koulourakia

While these don’t feel like your typical cookie recipe, they’re actually not that hard! You whip melted butter and sugar until fluffy.

Add eggs.

Combine the orange juice and baking soda then add to the mixture.

Then add almost all of the other ingredients with the mixer on medium.

Start adding flour a scoop at a time (or about a half cup or less each time), adding more as each scoop gets incorporated.

About halfway through the flour, you’ll have to switch to the dough hook. At this point, start adding a splash of oil after each scoop of flour.

Once the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and can be rolled into a smooth log shape (still a bit squishy but holds this shape), you’re done!

Roll out cookies by taking a piece of dough about the size of a ping pong ball (ish) and on a smooth cutting board or silicone baking mat, gently roll it into a long strip about 6” to 8” long (don’t press down—gently roll your hands forward and outward). This takes some practice, but your practice cookies will still taste the same!

Sprinkle some sesame seeds parallel to the dough. Roll it gently over the sesame.

Take this rope and cross it over itself, with the ends close together to create an oblong, nearly closed oval.

Gently yet quickly twist the oval once, creating another overlapping strip in the middle, then again creating another overlap near the top, so the entire strip is twisted.

If needed, trim the extra ends.

Place on a nonstick baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake until golden.

These seriously do last at least a week in an airtight container, usually longer! And don’t forget to dip in milk or coffee, as that’s the best way to enjoy!

Tips and notes for this recipe

Add flour until it pulls away from the bowl

This is the hardest part, but it’s not actually that tricky. The amount of flour you’d need varies because of climate, brands of flour, etc. Instead of an exact amount, add flour (alternating with splashes of oil) until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and you can roll it out gently. This won’t be like rolling sugar cookies. It still requires a gentle touch, but you should be able to gently roll it and it will be somewhat smooth.

Getting the right shape takes practice

I’ve included photos to help you as well as a detailed description of rolling them out. But in the end, it’s okay if they’re not perfectly rolled out. They’ll bake just fine. In fact, while my mother-in-law rolled out far better cookies than me, I really couldn’t tell the difference between the two once they were baked. So don’t stress and just play with it!

Where to find mastikha

Mastikha/mastiha/mastika—it’s a Greek liqueur that (to me) is the hard version of retsina (if you know, you know—it tastes like a pine tree in weirdly a good way). I usually spell it mastikha, since my in-laws’ bottle, which is used exclusively for these cookies, is spelled that way. Any Greek store would carry it, but if you don’t have one around, you can try adult beverage stores like BevMo or Total Wine. I’ve also seen it at Cost Plus, World Market. If you don’t have those options, can’t find it, or don’t want to invest in it quite yet, you can double the bourbon to replace the mastikha.

Sesame seeds are optional

Sesame seeds are pretty traditional with these cookies, but if you don’t like them or can’t eat them, you can simply omit them altogether. The cookies will still be beautiful and delicious without them!

Koulourakia (Greek Easter Cookies)

  • prep time: 20-25 minutes
  • bake time: 15-20 minutes
  • total time: 45 minutes

yields: 75-100 cookies (they’ll last 1-2 weeks!)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, melted*
  • 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • ¼ cup (62g) orange juice (fresh or store bought)
  • ½ teaspoon (3g) baking soda
  • finely grated zest of one large orange (about ½ tablespoon)
  • 7 ½ teaspoons (30g) baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon (13g) vanilla extract
  • 1 shot (42g) Greek mastikha/mastika/mastiha liqueur (optional--and spelling seems to vary widely)**
  • 1 shot (42tg) bourbon
  • ¼ teaspoon (1g) cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon (1g) nutmeg
  • 5-7 cups (680-952g) flour
  • 2 tablespoons (26g) vegetable oil (Wesson is recommended)
  • 3 ounces (85g) sesame seeds (or as needed)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 for convection, 350 for a regular oven.
  2. In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
  4. Mix orange juice with the baking soda and whisk until done fizzing (the foam will still sit on top a bit). Add this along with the zest to the bowl and mix until well-blended. It may look separated, but don’t worry.
  5. Add each of the remaining ingredients except flour and oil (so baking powder through nutmeg), adding each ingredient one at a time with the mixer on medium and mixing well after each addition, about 30 seconds between.
  6. Begin adding the flour, about ¼ to ½ cup at a time, adding more flour with the mixer on (use that splash shield here!). As soon as one scoop is incorporated, dump another scoop in. About halfway through the flour, you’ll need to switch to the dough hook attachment. At this time, you will also start adding splashes of the oil after each addition of flour has mixed in. The goal is to use up all the oil by the time all of the flour is added.
  7. Since flour brands and climate drastically affect doughs, you’ll need to gauge how much flour you need by how the dough is coming together. It should start pulling away from the sides of the bowl but still be somewhat light and airy. If you pinch a piece off, it should be able to be rolled (gently) into a somewhat smooth rope and hold its shape and not stick to your hands.
  8. Once the dough is ready, roll out your cookies. On a silicone baking mat or another similar smooth, nonstick surface (not parchment--a smooth cutting board works), take a piece of dough about 2 tablespoons or so large (ping pong ball sized is what I go with). Gently roll it out into a long, thin rope about 6” to 8” long. This requires a bit of a swift, rocking motion with your fingers. Don’t press down, but rather roll your hands out and away from each other to stretch it out without pushing it down. Don’t worry if your first few aren’t pretty--they’ll still taste good!
  9. Pour a small bit of sesame seeds out in a line parallel to the rope. Gently roll your rope across the sesame seeds (again, don’t press it down or it’ll lose its shape).
  10. Take one end of the rope and cross it over the other to make an oblong loop with the crossing part near the ends. Take the top of the loop (opposite of where the crossed pieces are) and gently yet swiftly twist it once to create a twist in the middle of your oblong loop then one last time to finish off the twists at the top. See pictures for an example of this. If desired, cut the ends of to get a clean cookie (and return them to the bowl of dough).
  11. Depending on the size you make your cookies (about 3” is usually good), you should be able to fit about 18-20 cookies on a large, nonstick cookie sheet. They will about double in size as they bake, so leave about 1-2 inches between cookies.
  12. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until just golden brown. This is often a persona preference, depending how crisp or crumbly you like your cookies. They go great with coffee and milk, so if they get crisper than you wanted, just dunk away!
  13. Let cool on the pan 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (if needed--they cool quickly).

Enjoy!

Cookies will last in an airtight container for at least a week, sometimes two.

*European butter is best! It has less water and makes a better cookie, in my opinion.

**If you don’t have a Greek store in your area, beverage stores like BevMo and Total Wine tend to carry this, as well as Cost Plus, World Market. If you cannot find it, you can double the bourbon instead.

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