Ladokouloura Greek Olive Oil cookies (Vegan + Easy)
Ladokouloura are traditional Greek Olive Oil Cookies that are mildly spiced and coated with crunchy sesame seeds. This is a one-bowl recipe that’s simple to make and vegan.
Servings 35 cookies, approximately
Ingredients
For the cinnamon water
- 1 cup water
- 3 cinnamon sticks
For the sesame seed mixture
- ½ cup (75 g / 2.6 oz) white sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon sugar
For the dough
- ½ cup ( 125 ml / 4 fl oz) light olive oil
- ¾ cup (150 g / 5.3 oz) sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml / 2 fl oz) cognac
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- a dash of freshly grated nutmeg (or ground nutmeg)
- a pinch of salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (381 g) + ½ cup (64 g) extra (you may not need all of it)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Make the cinnamon water
- Put the cinnamon sticks in a small saucepan with the water and gently boil for about 10 minutes, until the water turns a dark brown color. Discard the sticks and set the cinnamon water aside to cool.
Prepare the sesame seeds
- Put the sesame seeds in a sieve and wash them under running water for about a minute.
- Put the sesame seeds on a clean kitchen towel and gently pat them dry to remove as much water as possible. Then place the sesame seeds in a bowl, add the tablespoon of sugar and stir until combined.
- Put the sesame seed mixture in a shallow pan so that it’s easier to coat the cookies later.
Make the dough
- Preheat the oven to 356° F / 180 °C.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, the sugar, the cognac, the cinnamon water, the baking soda, the nutmeg, the salt and the ground cinnamon.
- Gradually add the flour, a little at a time (I like to start off using a silicone spatula to remove any lumps.).
- Add a little more flour by hand until a dough forms. Keep in mind that you may not need all the flour, or you may need a bit more than what’s listed if it’s too wet. The dough should come together and not stick to the sides of the bowl. You should be able to easily roll a piece in your hand.
- Weigh each piece, about 1 oz / 25 g. Then roll into a 5 inch rope (about 12.5 cm) and shape, if desired.
- Gently press one side into the sesame seeds and then place a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for about 25 minutes for soft cookies or 35-40 minutes for crunchy cookies.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Picture Tutorial & Tips: I have a detailed picture tutorial in my post to help you out with each step of the recipe as well as lots of tips to ensure success.
- If you want to omit the alcohol in the recipe, just add equal amounts of more cinnamon water, plain water, or orange juice.
- After the dough has come together, don’t let it sit in the bowl too long because some of the olive oil will seep out. Weigh the dough into pieces and then start shaping them as quickly as possible, so as to avoid this.
- I like to weigh each piece of dough before shaping the cookies so that they are pretty much all the same size. That way you ensure they will bake evenly, in the same amount of time.
- For even baking, I like to bake my cookies one sheet at a time, preferably in the middle of the oven. But, every oven is different, so do what works best for you.
