Greek Easter Cookies (Paschalina Koulourakia)

Easter is the most important holiday on the Orthodox Christian calendar.  It is marked throughout Greece by the return of many to their home towns or villages to celebrate with family and traditional foods.  Orthodox Easter falls from one to four weeks after it is celebrated by Western Christianity and sometimes the two coincide.  It is also linked closely to the timing for Passover, and is never celebrated before this solemn Jewish Holiday.

Easter preparations

During Holy Week, that is the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, preparations for Pascha (Easter) include the dyeing of the eggs, making the Greek Easter Cookies (Paschalina Koulourakia), and baking the traditional braided sweetbread, known as tsoureki.  The Easter table is not only a reflection of tradition, but it also highlights the seasonality of Greek cuisine.

The traditional day to prepare koulourakia is usually Holy Thursday.  When trays of these sweet treats come out of the oven, the whole house fills with the aromas of orange and vanilla!  These Easter butter cookies are usually made in great quantities and, because they keep so well, they can last for weeks after Easter!

The many shapes of Greek Easter cookies

Each year, Greek families gather around a table on Holy Thursday to shape several batches of orange-scented dough into their favorite shapes. From simple rings, to twists and tiny braids, the shape you choose is up to you.  The cookies should be more or less the same size so that they bake evenly.

Once the dough is formed into the shape you like, it takes only 12 minutes in the oven to become this:

Tips for the best Greek Easter Cookies:

1. Room temperature ingredients:  make sure the butter and eggs you are using are not cold from the refrigerator
2. Measure your flour by weighing it:  too much flour can result into dense cookies (see recipe note).  If possible, look for soft flour (i.e., lower protein flour), also known as cake flour.  Do not be tempted to use more flour; this might make the dough easier to work with, but the cookies will be dense
3. Do not add the flour all at once:  each flour absorbs the liquids in a recipe differently, so you might end up needing a little less flour at the end depending on the flour you use
4. Do not skip resting time:  during this time, the flour will absorb the liquids and will turn from sticky to workable.  If your dough is still sticky, try adding a tablespoon flour at a time until the consistency is right. Try also not to overwork the dough
5. The egg wash:  just before baking, a light brushing of egg wash will give them a nice, light golden brown color

Greek Easter Cookies – a treat 

This recipe makes several trays of cookies.  Do not half the recipe, thinking you might end up with too many cookies.  If stored properly, they will keep well for a couple of weeks after Easter, even though they will not last that long!  Share them with your friends and enjoy a couple of these little treats everyday with your morning coffee, or tea!

Greek Easter Cookies (Paschalina Koulourakia)

5.0 from 1 reviews

Greek Easter Cookies (Paschalina Koulourakia)

 

Save Print

Prep time

45 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

57 mins

 

Author: Marilena Leavitt

Recipe type: Greek cookies

Cuisine: Greek

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar (7 oz. or 200 gr.)
• 14 TBSP. butter, cut into pieces and at room temperature (7 oz. or 200 gr.)
• --- --- zest of two medium oranges
• ½ tsp. orange extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 13.5 oz. or 400 gr. (about 3 cups) all purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• --- flour for dusting
• 1 sm. egg, lightly beaten for glazing
• --- --- pearl sugar for topping (optional)

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and the butter on medium-high speed until light and creamy. Add the orange zest, orange extract, and vanilla extract and mix again for a few seconds until just blended. Add the lightly beaten eggs and process to incorporate fully.
2. In the meanwhile, in a small bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture a little at a time, and beat on low speed until the dough is just combined. Cover the dough and let it rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
3. Sprinkle some flour over a clean work surface, the top of the dough and your hands. Empty the dough and knead it lightly so it comes together without sticking. The dough should feel soft and easy to work with. If needed, add a tablespoon of flour to the dough and check again. Try not to incorporate too much flour, or the cookies will not be tender.
4. If your dough is stick sticky, form the dough into a disk, cover it with plastic wrap, and put it in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
5. Preheat your oven to 350˚ F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest for five minutes. Pinch off a small piece of the dough and roll it into a small, walnut-sized ball. Roll it out with your fingers into a thin rope about 7-inches long. Form the rope into a circle and secure the ends. Alternatively, you can also twist the dough and then form little circles with it. Place on the baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the dough until you have formed all your cookies.
6. Brush your circles with some of the beaten egg and sprinkle with some pearl sugar (if using - this is not traditional). Bake for 12-13 minutes, making sure not to overbake the cookies. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. When they are completely cool, store them in a tin container for up to two weeks (if they last that long)!

Notes

Measuring correctly the flour for this recipe is very important, that is why we prefer to use a scale. Do not use a measuring cup to scoop the flour straight from the bag, as this will pack the flour and can result in using more flour than what you need and then the cookies will be dense. Instead, use the "spoon and level" method: Spoon the flour into a measuring cup until overflowing, and then level it with a knife.

3.5.3240