Every Greek home has that smell you never forget around the holidays – orange and vanilla baking together in the kitchen. For many families, that means koulourakia, the classic Greek twist cookies made before Easter. But in our house, they make another appearance at Christmas too, right alongside Greek white cookies Kourabiedes. These golden twist cookies are the perfect mix of crisp and tender, lightly sweet, and beautifully shaped – ideal for gift baskets, dessert trays, and coffee breaks, (or a coffee breakfast), all year long!
Why You’ll Love This Greek Koulourakia Recipe:
- A true family recipe: This is the same style of Greek koulourakia your grandmother might have made – simple, traditional, and made to share.
- I love it too because it’s also realistic. In Canada, we don’t always have fresh oranges unless you want to pay an arm and a leg, but it’s not a commonly grown fruit. But pure orange juice is always available, so my grandmother used that. It’s realistic. It’s not fancy, it’s real and that’s what I love about her recipes.
- Perfect for both Easter and Christmas: Traditionally served at Easter but just as festive for the holidays for my family and hopefully yours too.
- Orange taste: Light sweetness, bright citrus, and a hint of vanilla.
- Twist-and-bake simplicity: Very fun and easy to shape, bake, and store.
- Ideal for gifting: Place them in festive tins with other cookies – or do what my grandmother did and put them in ziploc bags to gift!
Key Ingredients for Greek Easter Cookies
- Lard: Room-temperature lard gives koulourakia their signature soft, rich crumb. Traditionally my grandmother used Crisco, but like I explained in my Kourabiedes recipe, Crisco is a by-product of vegetable shortening and I just can’t in good conscious, use that when I could use the healthier, natural alternative – lard.
- Sugar: For a gentle sweetness – the perfect cookie paired with the very sweet kourabides.
- Eggs: Add structure and the traditional golden colour we all want.
- Orange zest and juice: A bright, traditional flavor used in many Greek holiday cookies.
- Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and depth.
- All-purpose flour & baking powder: The perfect base for twisting and puffing up.
- Optional: Sesame seeds for topping – a nod to Greek Easter tradition if you’d like. We never do this.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Time needed: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Make dough
Combine all ingredients into a bowl and beat until combined and until a soft, pliable dough forms. On a floured surface mold into a non-sticky dough ball.
- Rest
Place back into the bowl and cover to let rest for a least 30 minutes.
- Prep
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Section
Place dough on a NON-floured surface and divide dough into four equal parts. Place unused sections back into covered bowl while working one at a time.
- Shape
Roll each section into a rope, cut it in half, then divide each half into six equal pieces (about 12 cookies per section).
Want smaller cookies? Make 16 pieces per section – you’ll get more bite-sized twists - Twist
Roll each piece into a 6-inch rope, twist twice, and place on prepared tray.
- Ready To Bake
Brush with beaten egg for shine and bake in preheated oven for 13–16 minutes, until golden. This may vary depending on your oven.
- Store
Cool completely before storing. This recipe makes about 48 cookies, depending on size.
Tips for Perfect Koulourakia’s Every Time
- Use room-temperature lard and eggs for to mix better.
- Don’t over-mix once the flour is added – keep the dough soft, like play dough.
- Measure flour lightly – too much makes them dry.
How to Serve Authentic Koulourakia
- Serve alongside Greek coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.
- Add to holiday cookie platters with Kourabiedes (Greek white butter cookies).
- Perfect for Easter Sunday coffee tables or Christmas morning brunch, (and for Santa’s Christmas eve cookies).
- Place in tins or clear bags for thoughtful homemade gifts.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- Store: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Note: the longer they sit out, the drier they get, best to be eaten sooner rather than later.
- Freeze: Baked koulourakia freeze well for 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Make-ahead: You can roll and shape them in advance, then freeze unbaked twists. Bake straight from frozen – just add a few extra minutes (mine take about 21 minutes isntead of the 14 minutes from raw). Or you can thaw them then bake the normal amount when soft and malable (about 30 minutes to thaw individually).
The Story Behind The Greek Koulourakia Recipe
Every family has their version of koulourakia. Some bake them just before Easter, symbolizing new beginnings. Others, like us, bring them out at Christmas as well, when the kitchen fills with buttery warmth and the kids line up to help twist the dough.
The act of twisting, sometimes called plaiting, is a small but joyful ritual. It symbolizes new beginnings – just like traditional Greek sweet Easter bread. It’s also the kind of baking that invites conversation, laughter, and memories. Whether you make them for Pascha or as part of your Christmas cookie spread, these cookies carry a taste of Greek tradition that never fades.
Frequently Asked Questions About Koulourakia
Traditionally they’re Greek Easter cookies, but many families (like mine!) also bake them for Christmas because they keep well and pair perfectly with coffee and the other sweet cookies.
Yes! Add a teaspoon of anise, a dash of cinnamon, or swap orange zest for lemon.
The dough might be too dry – next time, add another tablespoon of milk or orange juice.
Store them in an airtight tin with a slice of bread – it helps maintain that light texture.
Yes, you can freeze them and either bake from frozen or wait to thaw – up to you. Don’t forget to egg wash them before baking.
Final Thoughts on Koulourakia
Whether you bake them for Easter or Christmas, koulourakia are more than cookies – they’re part of Greek heritage, family, and celebration.
They fill the home with warmth, carry memories through generations, and bring joy to any table. So twist, bake, and share – and may your kitchen always smell like sugar, orange, and tradition.
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Greek Koulourakia Recipe
Equipment
- 1 hand mixer Can probably use a kitchen aid mixer as well
- 1 large stainless steel bowl
- 1 Kitchen Scale
- 2 baking sheets
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 560g flour
- 2 eggs
- 180g lard
- 230g white sugar
- 90g pulp-free orange juice
- 6g baking powder
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg for egg wash
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients into a stainless steel bowl and beat with the hand mixer until well combined and create soft dough shape.
- On a floured surface, knead the dough until you've reached a playdough-like consistency.
- Place dough back into the bowl and cover to let rest for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Take dough out on a NON floured surface and cut into 4 sections, place 3 sections back in covered bowl and start working on first section.
- Roll the first section of the dough into a long log (approximately 1.5 feet). Cut the log in half. You should now have 2 logs. the same length and size. Cut each log into 6 pieces. (You can cut it into 8 or even 9 pieces to make more smaller cookies – up to you).
- Roll out each individual piece into a small log (or as my daughter calls it a snake), that's about 8" long. Grab one end and bring it to the other end piece. The log should be parallel to each other and not touching. From there, grab the two end pieces in one hand and the top bend of the log with the other, and twist the dough 2-3 times.
- Once the cookie is twisted, place on the parchment paper on the baking sheet. Give a good amount of space between each cookie as it will puff up during the baking process.
- Make an egg wash using one egg and a basting brush. Coat the top of each cookie with the wash to get the golden brown colour. Bake in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes, until they are golden brown.
Great. Subtle and paired well with my morning coffee.