Sunday, April 19, 2015

Koulourakia- Greek Easter Cookies

This is a traditional Greek Easter dessert recipe. They are typically made during Holy Week, and are eaten on Holy Saturday night after the official celebration of Jesus' resurrection. As a young girl, my Giagia would make koulourakia with her mother in the village in Greece. Her mother would sing a song (a traditional lamentation song sung on Holy Thursday for the crucifixion of Christ) to her while making them. As a little girl, my mother would help my Giagia make her koulourakia for Easter, and my Giagia would sing the song to her. And now, every year when my Giagia makes her koulourakia, my mother and I go to help her and she sings the song to us. I intend on upholding the tradition with my children some day as well...

Koulourakia- Greek Easter Cookies
Ingredients: Yields about 120 koulourakia
  • 1 and 1/2 cup milk
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 and 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 lb. whipped sweet butter
  • 2 teaspoons baking ammonia
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • dash of vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons Rosewater (anthonero)
  • lemon zest from one lemon
  • about 7 lbs flour (we use Gold Medal All-Purpose Flower and we stick to that every year)
  • egg wash- (2 beaten eggs, mixed with 2 tablespoons Rosewater)
Instructions:
-Pre -heat oven to 350 degrees F.

-Beat butter in electric mixer until fluffy.

-Add sugar, eggs and Rosewater into the butter.

-Dilute ammonia and baking powder in milk and add to butter mix, along with the vanilla and lemon zest. 

-Once mixture is blended well, start adding flour in small increments until pliable but not hard.
(If you have a large enough mixer, you can add the flour into the mixer. If not, pour butter mixture into a large mixing bowl and add flour slowly while hand kneading.)

-Use a medium size ice cream/baking scoop to make even sized dough balls.

-Knead and roll out the dough into 6 inch rope-like portions, fold the rope in half, and twist twice.

-Place on a greased cookie sheet and arrange in rows. (Leave enough space around each cookie in order to ensure they do not connect with other cookies while baking).

-Bake for 15 minutes, and brush egg wash on each cookie.

-Bake 30-40 minutes in total (depending on your oven) until light golden color. 



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