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Koulourakia – Greek Butter Cookies

Koulourakia are traditional Greek butter cookies flavored with orange, vanilla, and brandy. Traditionally made around Easter, these cookies are crispy with a tender crumb and go perfect with a cup of coffee!

Koulorakia and a cup of coffee on brown parchment paper.

Greek Orthodox Easter is right around the corner, which means every Greek household is busy baking for the big day. Easter is the biggest and more important holiday for the Greek Orthodox around the world. After 40 days of lent, fasts are broken on Easter Sunday with delicious food and desserts including Koulourakia and Tsoureki (Greek Easter bread)

Koulourakia are traditional Greek butter cookies flavored with orange and vanilla. My family adds a splash of brandy to ours which adds a nice pop of flavor. They are crispy with a tender melt-in your-mouth crumb. They are made with simple, pantry-staple ingredients and come together in under 1 hour. Traditionally made around Easter, these cookies are now a staple for all Greek holidays, celebrations, and festivals. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Buttery, crispy, with a delicious aromatic flavor
  • Easy to prepare with simple ingredients
  • A fun recipe to make with kids for Easter!
  • Perfect for celebrations
  • Portable

For more Easter recipes, check out this Carrot Cake, Tsoureki (Greek Easter bread), and these Cadbury Mini Egg Cookies

INGREDIENT NOTES

  • Butter: Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. I like to leave my butter out of the refrigerator overnight whenever I make this recipe.
  • Eggs: Just like the butter, make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
  • Flour: For the best results, weigh out the flour. This will ensure that you add the correct amount of flour so that your dough is perfect for rolling. Use unbleached all-purpose flour.
  • Brandy: We love to use brandy in these cookies, but you can replace it with whiskey or cognac. If you do not want to add alcohol to the cookies, replace the brandy with more orange juice.
eggs, orange zest, orange juice, brandy, vanilla extract, sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, and flour on a marble surface.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder,, and salt.
  2. Beat butter with sugar. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar for about 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.  
flour with a whisk in a bowl and creamed butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.
  1. Add eggs. Next, add the eggs and beat for another 2 minutes until well combined and the mixture is creamy.
  2. Add flavorings. Add the vanilla extract, orange juice, brandy, and orange zest. Mix until combined.
Creamed butter with sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl, and creamed butter with orange zest, orange juice, vanilla, and brandy in a mixing bowl.
  1. Add dry ingredients. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients. The mixture may seem crumbly at first, but will come together into a soft dough.
  2. Shape cookies. Divide the dough into 26 portions. Then roll each portion into 7-inch ropes. Fold in half, and twist the rope (see video for visual). You can also shape the cookies into braids, spirals, or “S” shape.
koulourakia dough in a glass bowl and hands holding a shaped twisted cookie.
  1. Brush with egg wash. Place the shaped cookies on parchment lined baking sheets and brush with egg wash.
  2. Bake. Bake the cookies until they are golden brown. Cool on the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks.
unbaked koulourakia on a baking sheet being brushed with egg wash and baked koulourakia on a parchment lined baking sheet.
koulourakia on brown parchment paper.

PRO TIP: To ensure that all of your cookies are uniform, use a kitchen scale to weigh out each dough portion. I weigh mine out to 1.5 oz (about 42 g) and get 26 cookies out of each batch. I do not recommend making them any bigger than that, although you can make them smaller (1 oz per cookie).

EXPERT TIPS

  • Accuracy: Measure all of your ingredients accurately. I like to use a kitchen scale to weigh out all of my ingredients and dough. 
  • Room temperature ingredients: Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature before beginning.
  • Optional topping: After brushing the cookies with egg wash, you can sprinkle sesame seeds on top for extra flavor and crunch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my koulourakia crack?

Koulourakia will crack if there is too much flour in the dough. This will also makes it difficult to roll and shape your cookies. The best way to avoid adding too much flour, is to weigh out the flour. If you do not have a kitchen scale, gradually add the flour until a soft yet pliable dough forms (you may not need all of the flour).

What is the best way to store koulourakia?

Store cookies covered in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Can I freeze baked cookies?

Yes. After baking, allow the cookies to cool completely. Place them in a freezer safe zip-top bag or airtight container. When you want to eat, remove the cookies from the freezer and allow them to thaw to room temperature.

koulourakia on a white ceramic plate.
koulourakia on brown parchment paper.

Koulourakia – Greek Butter Cookies

Angelina Papanikolaou
Koulourakia are traditional Greek butter cookies flavored with orange, vanilla, and brandy. Traditionally made around Easter, these cookies are crispy with a tender crumb and go perfect with a cup of coffee!
5 from 10 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dessert
Cuisine Greek
Servings 26 cookies
Calories 186 kcal

Equipment

  • Stand mixer or hand mixer
  • Kitchen scale
  • Baking sheet
  • Pastry brush

Ingredients 

  • 4 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp orange juice
  • 1 tbsp brandy
  • zest of 1 orange

Egg Wash

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tbsp milk

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350℉. Line two baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in large bowl with a hand mixer.
  • Add the eggs and beat until light and creamy, about 2-3 more minutes.
  • Mix in vanilla extract, orange juice, brandy, and orange zest until well combined.
  • Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, a cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat on medium speed, about 1 minute, until a dough forms.
  • Break off a heaping tablespoon of dough (or weigh out the dough into 1.5 oz|43 g portions) and roll into a 7-8 inch rope. Fold in half and twist. Place the cookies on prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
  • Beat the egg yolk and milk in a small bowl and lightly brush on top of the cookies.
  • Bake 35-40 minutes, rotating the pans halfway, until golden brown.
  • Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Video

Notes

  • Accuracy: Measure all of your ingredients accurately. I like to use a kitchen scale to weigh out all of my ingredients and dough. 
  • Room temperature ingredients: Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature before beginning.
  • Uniform cookies: To ensure that all of your cookies are uniform, use a kitchen scale to weigh out each dough portion. I weigh mine out to 1.5 oz (about 42 g) and get 26 cookies out of each batch. I do not recommend making them any bigger than that, although you can make them smaller (1 oz per cookie)
  • Optional topping: After brushing the cookies with egg wash, you can sprinkle sesame seeds on top for extra flavor and crunch.
  • Storage: Store cookies covered in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
  • Freezing: After baking, allow the cookies to cool completely. Place them in a freezer safe zip-top bag or airtight container. When you want to eat, remove the cookies from the freezer and allow them to thaw to room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 186kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 3gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 68mgPotassium: 35mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 249IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was and tag @bakedambrosia on Instagram

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16 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Absolutely beautiful cookies, and delicious too! I followed the recipe exactly with no substitutions and they turned out perfectly.

  2. 5 stars
    Baked these today as a gift for my Baba for Father’s Day. Absolutely delicious with coffee. Also, thank you for creating a recipe using weight instead of volume!

  3. 5 stars
    Hi Angelina,
    This is by far the best recipe out there! Measuring with a scale was a game changer. I would not change a thing. Shhhhhhh, don’t tell my Greek mother in law but my family says theses are better than Yiayia’s.

  4. 5 stars
    i made these cookies after visiting a Greek festival during pre pandemic and they had these in bags for sale. my husband and i enjoyed them very much, especially with coffee. but after they were all gone, i didn’t know where to get more until i found this recipe and started out making half the recipe. they were wonderful and enjoyed them not being too sweet or too rich. I am making them again for the second time and not have to worry anymore about looking for a Greek bakery. Thank you much for sharing this wonderful easy recipe! 🙂

  5. Hi, Angelina
    I made these cookies twice (because they are so good – thank you for the recipe). I wonder what I am doing wrong. I omit the orange zest but otherwise follow all your directions. The dough is very dry and crumbly and ultimately I have to add water in order to be able to work with the dough. Do you have any suggestions?

    1. Hi Patricia! I suggest that you weigh the flour to make sure that you are using the correct amount. If you don’t have a scale, gradually add the flour until a soft dough forms. You may not have to use all of the flour.

  6. 5 stars
    Thanks to your recipe, yesterday I made the most delicious koulourakia.
    My family enjoyed them so much in fact, that today I’m making a double batch. Καλό Πάσχα

  7. 5 stars
    Love this recipe! Made it tonight and I can’t wait to have some of these yummy cookies. They turned out great! Thank you for the recipe Angelina.

  8. 5 stars
    Great recipe! I have never tried them with orange zest, I’ve usually just added Pure vanilla extract with Metaxa. Also, when rolling out the koulourakia, I would roll them in sesame seeds, then do the egg wash. Yummmmm

  9. 5 stars
    I’ve always left the koulourakia making to my aunts, but I thought this year my family could use every bit of normalcy possible. My daughter and I made them this morning. The recipe was easy and forgiving. Each batch we played with size and shapes and they always turned out beautifully–crisp, delicious. These koulouria were perfect and I’m beyond grateful to you for sharing this recipe! Thank you! Happy Easter!

  10. 5 stars
    These koulourakia cookies are fabulous! This is exactly the recipe I was looking for with a finely textured dough and excellent flavors with the orange zest, juice and buttery goodness. The egg wash is an important step to give the finished cookies a pretty sheen. It worked for me to halve the recipe and make with ingredients as instructed. Kids would have fun rolling out the dough and shaping the cookies. Definitely a keeper recipe for Easter or anytime and addictive as Angelina’s warning states!

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