Koulourakia Recipe— Greek Butter Cookies

Koulourakia — The Quintessential Greek Cookie

Koulourakia (or Koulouria) are one of the most revered traditional Greek desserts. Growing up in a Greek community, friends always offer the sweet butter-based cookies as a casual afternoon snack; they are also fixtures at every celebration. Koulourakia are most often associated with Greek Easter, but I don’t think I’ve attended a holiday party in a Greek household where they didn’t make an appearance. We love baking them at Christmastime along with Melomakarona and Kourabiedes.

Ancient origins

Outside of soirees, they are the perfect compliment to coffee as an afternoon snack or breakfast. Legend has it that the cookies date back to Minoan times. (I haven’t seen any authoritative documentation of this, but like the sound of it.) Minoans worshipped the snake, which explains the coil-like foundation of the cookie. Logistically, if Minoans did eat these cookies, they would have probably made them with olive oil instead of butter, sweetened with honey instead of sugar, but I digress. Luckily today in Greece, you can go to any zaharoplastio and easily purchase them by the kilo — and you’ll want to fill your box because they disappear quickly.

But if you don’t live near a Greek bakery, you’ll want to make them for yourself using this easy recipe.

My sweet history of Koulourakia

Like most Greek kids, I started making these yummy cookies with my yiayia. Then I really upped my game when my mom took me down to our church during the summer to help them bake for our annual Greek festival. Our community in Dayton, Ohio made nearly all our food and pastries from scratch. I’d spend my summer break sitting among everyone else’s yiayias, my seven-year-old fingers rolling hundreds of the prized biscuits. I perfected my skills, so much so, that my mom always put me on rolling duty when she made them for our family. She’d still make me do it if I didn’t live across the country from her. Now she makes my dad help! It’s ok. He eats them all anyway.

Recipe origins

But this recipe is based on one from our dear friend in Ann Arbor, Michigan: Andriana Skinner. Yiayia Andriana was an incredible baker — a Greek pasty expert — and we’d often stop by her house in the afternoons and I would gobble down handfuls of these cookies and her powdered sugar-covered Kourambiedes while my mom visited with her and her daughters. 

Making Koulourakia

There are as many variations of Koulourakia as there are Greek families. None are more “authentic” than others. This is the one that I personally like. In my cookbook: Opa! The Healthy Greek Cookbook, my writing partner offers her recipe that uses olive oil instead of butter. Other variations include what kind of liquor to add, or to add it at all.

In this recipe, I use Metaxa, cause that’s what I have stocked in my house. Other Greeks use Ouzo or Tsoukoudia. I’m sure they’re also great with some Mastiha liquor. My yiayia used straight-up whiskey because in the ’80s it was hard to find Greek liquor in Ohio. Don’t make it difficult on yourself. My mom also uses almond extract in place of vanilla cause that’s how she likes them. I think they taste great either way. I also like to add the zest of half an orange along with the 2 tablespoons of orange juice; why not?

A note about flour

To find success with this recipe, first add the cup of flour that you’ve combined with the baking soda and baking powder. Then incorporate the 3 additional cups of flour. At that point, your dough should still be fairly sticky. For the final cup of flour, slowly spoon it into the mix. You probably won’t use the whole cup. Once the dough starts to pull away from the side of the mixing bowl, don’t add any more flour or your cookies might turn out tough and brittle.

Baking tips

When you place them on your baking sheet, make sure to give them some space between one another. They will puff up and spread out. That said, make them smaller than how you would like to eat them cause they definitely grow. I use a teaspoon to measure out dough balls. My mother in law makes larger ones using about a tablespoon of dough. It’s really up to you.

To see how I made mine, watch the step-by-step sequence below!

How do your make your Koulourakia? Let me know in the comments!

For another delicious Greek dessert, check out my Pasta Flora recipe! And if you want to bake more cookies, definitely try these recipes for Melomakarona (Greek honey walnut cookies), and Kourabiedes (powdered sugar dusted butter cookies).

Koulourakia — Greek Butter Cookies

Yum

Cuisine Greek

Category Breakfast Brunch Cookies Dessert Greek Easter Recipes Greek Food Greek Recipes Recipes Sweet Vegetarian

Persons

80

Prep Time

1 hour, 30 minutes

Cook Time

25 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 55 minutes

Koulourakia (or Koulouria) are one of the most revered traditional Greek desserts. Growing up in a Greek community, friends always offer the sweet butter-based cookies as a casual afternoon snack; they are also fixtures at every celebration, and on every holiday spread. Koulourakia are most often associated with Easter, but I don’t think I’ve attended a holiday party in a Greek household where they didn’t make an appearance.

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

• 12 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon whisky or brandy
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 4-5 cups AP flour, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the Glaze:

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

1. Cream butter until light and fluffy.
2. Add sugar and beat the mixture until it lightens in color and is creamy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Stop mixer and scrape down bowl.
4. Add the whisky, vanilla, and orange juice.
5. Turn mixer tow low speed. Combine the baking powder, baking soda, and salt with 1 cup of flour, and add it to the mixer. Scrape down bowl.
6. Gradually beat in 3-4 additional cups of flour until a soft dough forms and the dough starts to release from the sides of the bowl. You want it to be a soft — not stiff dough — so once it starts pulling away from the sides of the mixing bowl, stop adding flour. <<—If you add too much flour, the cookies will be tough, so stop adding it once the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
7. Cover in plastic and let rest for 30 min. This step can be done a day ahead. Resting and refrigerating the dough is essential, or else you won't be able to roll out the cookies.
8. Once the dough has chilled, form the cookies by taking a heaping teaspoon of dough and rolling it into a 5 to 6-inch long piece. Fold in half and twist together.
9. Place 1 inch apart on a parchment or greased foil- lined baking sheet. Continue until all twists are formed.
10. Whisk together 1 large egg with 1 tablespoon milk and glaze cookies with a pastry brush. Top with sesame seeds (optional).
11. Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 15 to 25 minutes, or until golden in color. If you're baking multiple cookie sheets at once, place one on the top rack and one underneath and switch half way through.
12. Remove to a rack and cool. Store in covered containers.

Notes

Adding flour to your dough
The amount of flour you use will vary depending on many factors like the brand of flour, humidity, and so on. Gradually add the flour into the mixture and once the dough starts to release from the side of the mixing bowl, it's time to stop adding the flour. You will definitely use around 4 cups, but maybe not the full 5 cups of flour.
Mixing the dough
It's also important not to overmix the dough. The more you mix, the tougher the cookie will be in the end.
Chilling the dough
Chilling the dough has to important purposes: 1) It solidifies the fat in the dough, which keeps the cookies from spreading on your cookie sheet when you bake. 2) It will be nearly impossible to roll out the cookies using a warm dough just out of your mixer.
Baking the cookies
The baking time will depend on your oven, and how large you make the cookies. Start checking 15 minutes in. You want to see them getting golden brown on top and on the bottom.
Cooling the cookies
Let the cookies cool on a rack for at least 5-10 minutes before you remove them from the cookie sheet. They will be very soft when you remove them from the oven and you must give them time to cool and firm up.

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© 2024 © Christina Xenos

Nutrition Facts

Koulourakia — Greek Butter Cookies

Serves: 80+ cookies

Amount Per Serving:
Calories		74.28 kcal
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3.92 g		4.6%
	Saturated Fat 2.29 g	10%
	Trans Fat 0.14 g
Cholesterol 15.81 mg		5%
Sodium 40.8 mg		1.7%
Total Carbohydrate 8.68 g		2.7%
	Dietary Fiber 0.24 g	0%
	Sugars 3.2 g
Protein 1.08 g

Vitamin A 3.56 %		Vitamin C 0.22 %
Calcium 0.99 %		Iron 1.03 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

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