{Melissa} This Monday I went over to my bf’s parent so I could cook some meringues since I dont’ have a mixer! By the way, yes this is Melissa and not my sister Stephanie (the baker)… When we got there, his mom was already baking so we ended up making Koulouria cookies… actually about a million of them!
Here’s Wikipedia definition: Koulourakia are a traditional Greek dessert, typically made at Easter. They are a butter-based pastry, traditionally hand-shaped, with egg glaze on top. They have a sweet delicate flavor with a hint of vanilla. Koularakia are well known for their sprinkle of sesame seeds and distinctive ring shape. These pastries are also often shaped like small snakes by the Minoans, as they worshiped the snake for its healing powers.Just when we were starting to shape them, his grandparents arrived for an impromptu visit. Surely, his yaya (grandma) showed us how to make them her way: hairpin twists! It was beautiful to see her experienced hands softly roll out the dough into these perfect shapes.
Because the recipe was written in greek, it included 18 eggs and almost 3 kilos of flour (therefore the million cookies!), but mainly because I lost many parts of it in the typical Greek brouhaha that I’m just getting used to, here’s a *modified* recipe from Taste.com.au that makes about 2 dozens yummy cookies:
Koularia Cookies
- 200g butter
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 tbs each of orange and lemon rind
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 1/4 cups plain flour
- 3/4 cup self-raising flour
- 1 egg yolk
- icing sugar to serve
- Preheat oven 180°C. Beat 200g butter and 1 cup caster sugar until creamy. Add 1 tsp vanilla essence and 1 tbs each of orange and lemon rind. Beat in 3 egg yolks.
- Beat in 1/4 cup milk, 2 1/4 cups plain flour and 3/4 cup self-raising flour. Add flour if needed to reach elasticity while making sure the dough isn’t too sticky.
- Bring the dough together on a lightly floured surface: knead until batter is firm enough – the dough should be pliable. If you want, you can let it rest, covered with a humid cloth, for +/- 30 min.
- For the traditional shape: roll 1 tablespoon of the mixture into a 20cm log. Fold in half, pinch ends together and twist 2 times. Repeat. At this point have fun with the shapes and make them your own!
- Place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Whisk 1 egg yolk with 1 tbs water. Brush over the biscuits. Bake 20-22 minutes or until pale gold. Cool completely. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
The recipes vary a lot; some include lemon or orange juice, other some Ouzo (anise flavored traditional Greek alcohol) or Cognac, the one we made in my bf’s family had ammonia in it (which I had never baked with before!), shortening, sesame seeds, etc. but the taste remains simple with a sweet hint.
The best part of this recipe? You can make them in advance! In fact, since they are hard cookies, usually eaten with a glass of milk or a cup of tea/coffee, it doesn’t matter if they’re fresh! Just keep them in a cool and dry place or even in the freezer!
