Koulourakia (Greek Easter Cookies)
Photography by Josh Griggs.
There seem to be a few variations of these traditional Greek Easter treats floating around – this simple recipe creates beautiful buttery, lightly spiced biscuits, which are the perfect companion to a cup of tea or coffee.
INGREDIENTS
225 grams butter, softened
150 grams sugar
1 large egg, size 7
2 tablespoons milk
3 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
finely grated zest of 1 orange
½ teaspoon cinnamon
300 grams self-raising flour
To bake
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup black or white sesame seeds, or a mix of both
METHOD
Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.
Using a handheld beater, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Pour in milk, vanilla paste, orange zest and cinnamon and stir to combine. Slowly add sifted flour, stirring as you go, to create a soft dough. Cover dough and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Remove dough from the fridge. Tear off walnut-sized pieces of dough and roll into desired shapes — traditionally, these cookies are baked in bagel shapes or as twists, coils or “S” shapes.
Place the cookies on baking trays, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 10–15 minutes or until lightly golden. Transfer to cool on a wire rack. Makes about 20 biscuits.
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