These Authentic Greek Easter Cookies (Koulourakia) are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside with subtle hints of vanilla and orange zest.
Made with a buttery dough and twisted into various shapes, these traditional cookies will remind you of being in YiaYia’s kitchen.
My YiaYia always had a batch of Koulourakia (we called them ‘YiaYia’s biscuits’) for us kids to enjoy any time of year.
They’re easy to make and can be enjoyed any time of day, even for breakfast with a cup of hot coffee or tea.
With Greek Orthodox Easter just around the corner, you can guarantee these festive biscuits are being made with love and care in Greek households around the world.
Looking for more authentic Greek recipes? Check out my YiaYia’s Pastitsio or Traditional Spanakopita.
WHAT ARE KOULOURAKIA COOKIES?
Koulourakia (koo-loo-ra-kee-ah) are festive butter cookies that are often associated with Greek Easter.
They’re made with simple ingredients, fresh citrus, and twisted into various shapes.
Greeks traditionally prepare Koulourakia on Saturday to be served the next morning for Greek Orthodox Easter, following the Lenten fast.
Overtime, Koulourakia became Greece’s most well-known cookie and widely popular throughout the world.
Today they are truly the staple ‘festive cookie’ for all major Greek holidays, celebrations, and festivals at any time of year.
AUTHENTIC GREEK EASTER COOKIE INGREDIENTS
All-purpose flour – works best for this authentic greek easter cookie recipe.
Baking powder – traditional Koulourakia recipes use baking ammonia as the leavening agent, but it can be strong in flavor and tricky to find/use. We use baking powder for a more modern version.
Granulated sugar – combining the sugar and orange zest with your fingers creates an aromatic orange-infused sugar.
Orange – the zest and juice from one large orange is needed.
Unsalted butter – ensure butter is fully room temperature. You can leave it out the night before.
Eggs – ensure eggs are room temperature. You can leave them out the night before.
Milk – bring to room temperature 30 minutes before starting recipe.
Vanilla extract – adds a subtle but sweet vanilla flavor to the cookies.
HOW TO MAKE AUTHENTIC GREEK EASTER COOKIES
- At least one hour before starting this recipe. Leave butter, milk, and eggs out to get to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add sugar and zest from one orange. Combine the two using your hands until the color changes and mixture is aromatic.
- Add the cubed butter to the bowl and beat with the paddle attachment on high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl throughout mixing.
- Add one egg, mix until fully combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Repeat with second egg and egg yolk.
- Add the milk, juice from one orange (about 1/4 cup), and vanilla, and beat for 30 seconds. The mixture will look curdled.
- At low speed, add the flour and baking powder mixture. Beat until mixture comes together into a soft texture but not sticky. If it’s still sticky, add 1 tbsp more flour.
- Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes (optional).
- With a cookie scoop or spoon, portion the dough into small balls. I had about 25 dough balls.
- Starting with one ball of dough on a clean flat surface, roll into an even sized log about 6-8 inches long (no need to flour workspace). Shape into desired shape such as the classic twist shape.
- To make a twist shape, fold the log so the two ends are touching each other and twist three times so it looks like a braid.
- Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet at least 1 inch apart and brush the tops with egg wash.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the bottoms are golden-brown and tops are beginning to golden. Broil for 1-2 minutes at the end for extra golden tops.
- Allow to cool and store for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
YIAYIA’S RECIPE TIPS
- When shaping your cookies, you do not need to flour the cutting board or workspace.
- Think ahead! Set out butter, eggs, and milk to come to room temperature.
- The egg wash provides a golden color to the baked cookies but is an optional step that not all Koulourakia recipes include.
- Adding sesame seeds is an option but my YiaYia never made them that way.
- Use a cookie scooper to divide the dough into equal portions.
- You can swap the orange for lemon.
HOW TO SHAPE KOULOURAKIA
Get creative and make any shape you like!
Us Greeks typically form our Koulourakia into twists or S shapes. Examples with step-by-step photos are shown below.
Twist Shape
S Shape
HOW TO STORE KOULOURAKIA
Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. You can freeze the cooked cookies for up to 2 months.
RECOMMENDED TOOLS
recipe faq’s
If your cookies are very cracked it means you used too much flour.
Room temperature butter is needed for the dough to come together easily and to be the right texture.
Koulourakia is derived from the Greek word “kouloura” which means to loop or twist, just like the traditional braid shape for which these cookies are widely recognized.
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STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL VIDEO
Did you make this? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!
Authentic Greek Easter Cookies (Koulourakia)
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 orange, zested and juiced
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed, room temp
- 2 eggs, room temp
- 1 egg yolk, room temp
- 1/4 cup milk, room temp
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Egg wash:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp water
Instructions
- At least one hour before starting this recipe. Leave butter, milk, and eggs out to get to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add sugar and zest from one orange. Combine the two using your hands until the color changes and mixture is aromatic.
- Add the cubed butter to the bowl and beat with the paddle attachment on high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Don't forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl throughout mixing.
- Add one egg, mix until fully combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Repeat with second egg and egg yolk.
- Add the milk, juice from one orange (about 1/4 cup), and vanilla, and beat for 30 seconds. The mixture will look curdled.
- At low speed, add the flour and baking powder mixture. Beat until mixture comes together into a soft texture but not sticky. If it's still sticky, add 1 tbsp more flour.
- Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes (optional).
- With a cookie scoop or spoon, portion the dough into small balls. I had about 25 dough balls.
- Starting with one ball of dough on a clean flat surface, roll into an even sized log about 6-8 inches long (no need to flour workspace). Shape into desired shape such as the classic twist shape.
- To make a twist shape, fold the log so the two ends are touching each other and twist so it looks like a braid.
- Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet at least 1 inch apart and brush the tops with egg wash.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the bottoms are golden-brown and tops are beginning to golden. Broil for 1-2 minutes at the end for extra golden tops.
- Allow to cool and store for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
Notes
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
- You can substitute the orange for lemon in this recipe.
- Adding sesame seeds is optional.
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