Koulourakia Greek Easter Cookies (Easy + Tips + Various Designs)

Koulourakia are traditional Greek cookies that are popular during Easter! They are buttery with hints of vanilla, orange juice, and freshly grated orange zest in every bite!

You’ll see these butter cookies on almost every Easter table in Greece!

Jump to:

• What are Koulourakia?
• Here’s what you need to make Koulourakia
• HOW TO MAKE KOULOURAKIA GREEK EASTER COOKIES
• TRADITIONAL GREEK KOULOURAKIA SHAPES & DESIGNS
• HOW TO MAKE KOULOURAKIA GREEK EASTER BUNNY COOKIES
• MAKE AHEAD OPTION
• TIPS FOR SUCCESS
• FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
• MORE GREEK RECIPES!
• Recipe

What are Koulourakia?

Koulourakia (pronounced kou-lou-RA-kee-a) are Greek Easter cookies that are traditionally shaped by hand into gorgeous twists, braids, rings, and lots of other designs.

This recipes makes the best Koulourakia cookies you will ever have!

Koulourakia are pretty simple to make. I think it would be really fun to get the kids involved in making all the different designs, too!

But I think the best part is that you don't need any unusual or hard-to-find ingredients to make Greek Easter cookies, just a few simple items, most of which you probably already have!

Here’s what you need to make Koulourakia

Ingredients for Koulourakia Greek Easter Cookies

• unsalted butter
• sugar
• vanilla
• eggs
• milk
• orange juice & zest
• baking powder
• all-purpose flour
• salt
• cognac (optional)

HOW TO MAKE KOULOURAKIA GREEK EASTER COOKIES

STEP 1

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

STEPS 2-3

In another large bowl, rub the orange zest with the sugar using your fingers. Then beat on low speed for about a minute.

STEP 4

Add the butter to the sugar and beat on medium-high speed for 10 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl when necessary.

STEP 5

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

STEP 6

Add the milk, vanilla, cognac, and orange juice and beat until well combined.

STEPS 7-8

Gradually add the flour mixture, 1 cup at a time. Start beating on low speed until the flour is just combined. Add more flour and mix it with a spatula.

STEPS 9-10

Use you hands to add the remaining flour. If the dough is too wet or sticky, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time until it comes together. The dough should be pliable and soft, not sticky and you should be able to hold a piece between your hands, like the photo above. Don't overmix the dough because it will make the cookies hard.

STEP 11

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for about half an hour.

STEP 12

Weigh each piece of dough (about 1.2 oz / 35 g) before shaping to ensure all the cookies are the same size and bake evenly.

STEPS 13-14

Roll the dough into a long cord, about 10 inches (26 cm) long. Make different shapes and place them on the baking sheet.

STEP 15

Then make the egg wash. Mix the egg yolk with the water.

STEP 16

Brush the top of the cookies with the egg wash and bake!

TRADITIONAL GREEK KOULOURAKIA SHAPES & DESIGNS

Greek Koulourakia are usually made into a variety of shapes.

Here are a few ideas!

HOW TO MAKE KOULOURAKIA GREEK EASTER BUNNY COOKIES

I honestly don’t remember where I first came across this Easter bunny, so I can’t take credit for the design, but it is so cute! Here's a step-by-step tutorial.

STEP 1

Take a piece of dough, the size of a walnut.

STEP 2

Roll into a long cord, about 10 inches (26 cm) long.

STEP 3

Make a spiral for the body.

STEP 4

Add another piece of dough on top and slightly flatten it.

STEP 5

Cut a small portion to make the ears.

STEP 6

Gently pull apart the ears using the tip of the knife.

STEP 7

Take a small piece of dough and roll it into a ball for the tail and attach it to the body.

STEP 8

Add a whole clove for the eye.

MAKE AHEAD OPTION

Here’s a great make-ahead option for this recipe:

Weigh each piece of dough (around 35 g / 1.2 oz). It should be about the size of a walnut.

After that, put all the dough balls in a large bowl, cover them with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator.

The next day, take the dough balls out of the refrigerator and soften each one a little bit in your hands. Then shape and bake them.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

• Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature.
• I highly suggest you weigh the ingredients using a digital scale before you begin to get consistent results.
• A secret to making these cookies is to rub the orange zest into the sugar by hand and then mix it with a hand mixer. I always do both in order to release all the aromatic oils from the zest.
• For fluffy cookies that won’t crumble apart, you really need to beat the butter and the sugar together for at least 10 minutes.
• Only use as much flour as needed for the dough to come together. There are a few factors that can affect how wet the dough is such as the size of the eggs you use. Therefore, you might need more flour to make the dough pliable so it doesn’t stick to your hands. If more flour is needed, add it a tablespoon at a time.
• When you add the flour, do not overmix the dough because it can make the cookies hard.
• The dough needs to rest for about 20-30 minutes. This will make it easier to shape the cookies.
• Weigh each piece of dough before shaping so that all the cookies are the same size & bake evenly.
• Leave enough space between each cookie when you put them on a baking sheet, otherwise they may stick together as they bake. Place them at least 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the baking sheet.
• These cookies can be soft or crunchy, it really depends on how long you bake them. I like them somewhere in between, not too soft, but not too crunchy, either, so I bake them for about 30 minutes. For crunchier cookies, bake them about 5 minutes longer, but don’t overbake or they could get hard.
• Each oven is different and baking times may vary. I bake these cookies one tray at a time.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Have a wonderful Easter (Kalo Pascha)!

~Voula

MORE GREEK RECIPES!

Recipe