Greek Easter Orange Cookies – Koulourakia Portokaliou

These traditional zesty Easter cookies are light, crumbly and soft! Dunk koulourakia in your morning coffee or enjoy as a midday snack.

What does “Koulourakia” mean?

Koulourakia (Greek: κουλουράκια, singular: κουλουράκι, pronounced: kuluˈraca) are traditional Greek cookies. In other words, koulourakia is a broad category for Greek cookies that we often categorize based on the key ingredient of each recipe. For instance, this recipe is specifically referred to orange cookies thus “koulourakia portokaliou” (Greek: πορτοκάλι for orange).

There are two kinds of Easter Koulourakia. Traditionally, the Greek Easter cookies contain eggs and butter and we enjoy them after Holy Saturday. Until that day, Greeks observe Lent (Religious fasting period) and there are specific food restrictions. The consumption of meat, fish, eggs, any dairy product, alcohol and olive oil is prohibited. Besides these Easter cookies, we make another variation which is appropriate for fasting and they taste incredible too! These are the Easter koulourakia I’m sharing with you. Although, I used olive oil in the recipe you can swap it for canola or sunflower oil and they will be Lenten.

Other koulourakia recipes, are koulourakia kanellas (cinnamon cookies), koulourakia sousamiou (sesame cookies) and so on.

How to make Koulourakia Portokaliou

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and salt. Whisk all together and set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F (175 C). In a stand mixer add the granulated sugar and olive oil and mix over medium high speed for about 2 minutes. Pour the orange juice, vanilla extract and orange zest and mix until incorporated.

Change the whisk attachment to the dough hook and add the flour mixture in thirds. Mix well after every addition on low speed until an elastic dough is formed. Do not overmix. Remove koulourakia dough from the mixer and place on a clean work surface. The dough should be oily but not sticky.

How to shape the cookies

Take a small piece of the dough and shape it into a ball using your palms. On a work surface, roll the dough ball into a log. Shape it into a round or twist as shown in the photos. If you don’t have experience rolling dough, apply some oil to your hands. That way, you will have better control of the dough.

Place the shaped koulourakia in lined baking sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are golden on top and golden brown at the bottom. Remove from oven and let them cool for 15 minutes. Enjoy with a cup of Greek coffee!

They are aromatic and soft but hard enough to hold their shape when dunking into a hot mug of coffee. Although, we associate them more with Easter, this is a recipe you can make all year long. In less than an hour you can have a delicious, egg-free, dairy-free cookie to enjoy any time of the day. Give these easy orange koulourakia recipe a try and I’m sure it will become one of your favorite desserts to make. I would love to hear from you if you try my recipe!

Greek Easter Orange Cookies – Koulourakia Portokaliou

Christianna | Siftnwhisk

These traditional Easter cookies are light, crumbly and soft! Dunk them in your morning coffee or enjoy as a midday snack.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Greek

Servings 50

Calories 111 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 6 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 ½ tbsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 cup Olive Oil or sunflower/canola oil
• 1 cup Orange Juice freshly squeezed
• 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• Orange Zest from one orange

Instructions

 

• Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large bowl add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and salt. Whisk all together and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (175 C).
• In a stand mixer add the granulated sugar and olive oil and mix over medium high speed for about 2 minutes.
• Pour the orange juice, vanilla extract and orange zest and mix until incorporated.
• Change the whisk attachment to the dough hook and add the flour mixture in thirds. Mix well after every addition on low speed until an elastic dough is formed. Do not overmix.
• Remove dough from the mixer and place on a clean work surface. The dough should be oily but not sticky.
• Take a small piece of the dough and shape it into a ball using your palms. On a work surface, roll the dough ball into a log. Shape it into a round or twist cookie as shown in the photos.
• Place the shaped cookies in lined baking sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are golden on top and golden brown at the bottom.
• Remove from oven and let them cool for 15 minutes.
• Enjoy with a cup of Greek coffee!

Notes

• To make this recipe suitable for fasting, substitute olive oil for any seed oil.
• The recipe can be also made by hand but it will take more time and effort.
• If the dough is too sticky, add more oil in the mixture. 
• Do not overmix or knead the dough for too long, as the olive oil will remove and it will be hard to roll the dough without cracking.
• The dough doesn’t need to rest. In fact, it will be smoother and easier to shape, if you use it right away.
• The number of cookies will depend on how small or big you shape them.
• Make sure you shape all cookies the same size so they will bake evenly.
• Note that ovens bake differently, so yours may take a little less or a little more time to bake.
• You can cover the cookies with sesame seeds or almond slivers if desired.
• The orange cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks at room temperature.
• Have any questions about the recipe or want to ask for substitutions? Contact me and I will be happy to help!

Nutrition

Calories: 111kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 50mgPotassium: 27mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 10IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg

Keyword all-purpose flour, easter cookies, easy cookies, Greek cookies, koulourakia, olive oil, orange juice

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Why do my koulourakia crack?

There are three main reasons your koulourakia may crack. Firstly, you added more flour than needed, so the dough is not elastic and smooth. Try, adding more liquid to the dough to make it wet and easier to handle. Another reason could be that you overworked the dough and the olive oil removed. This is a dough that needs just enough mixing/kneading to come together. As soon as the flour mixture has been incorporated, you need to stop mixing the dough. Lastly, you let the dough sit for too long before shaping the cookies. It is best to roll the dough right away.

How long do koulourakia last?

Koulourakia will keep very well in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks at room temperature. For longer storage, you may refrigerate them.

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For more orange desserts have a look at these recipes:

• Extra Moist Orange Bundt Cake
• Traditional Greek Orange Phyllo Cake “Portokalopita”