Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love. This Greek Koulourakia recipe came from my podcast guest, Regina Frances, a holocaust survivor. Make sure you listen to her episode A Holocaust Survivor Shares Her Story while you make Regina's Traditional Greek Orange Cookies!
For a traditional cookie, you need a traditional recipe! This Koulourakia recipe comes from a Jewish Greek household that dates their Greek heritage all the way back to the dispersal of Jews throughout the Roman empire! My podcast guest, Regina Frances, learned the recipe for these famous Greek cookies with zest orange flavor from her mother, who learned them from her mother.
For those of us lucky enough to learn from her recipe, let's follow the Frances family tradition of sharing a few with our neighbors and co-workers. There will be more than enough!!
Pair these with a strong cup of coffee (and sit down to listen to France's episode!) or as dessert after a meal of healing Spanish Sopa de Ajo or Mediterranean Kofta.
Jump to:
- Guest's Memories of Making Recipe
- Top Tip
- Second Top Tip
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- Variations on Recipe
- Instructions
- Why Add the Baking Soda to Brandy?
- Shaping the Koulourakia
- Baking Time
- Chilling/Freezing
- Equipment
- More Mediterranean Recipes
- More Cookie Recipes Around the World
- Listen to Regina's Episode
- Recipe
- Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player
Guest's Memories of Making Recipe
Once Regina's family immigrated to the United States, about a dozen years after the Holocaust ended, she never remembers a time when her family's kitchen counter didn't have a glass jar full of these delicious orange cookies.
In fact, when Regina's uncle was going through chemotherapy and was admitted to long-term hospital care, he always had a jar of Koulourakia cookies by his hospital bed!
Later, Regina called her centenarian mother daily and asked her what she had for breakfast. The answer was always the same, "Two koulourakia and a cup of coffee."
Top Tip
Pay attention to the dough as you add the final cups of flour!
- This is a simple recipe! The key to success is adding flour until the texture is perfect - like Regina says, it should be pliable, smooth, and not sticky - just like a baby's cheeks 🙂
- To arrive at the right texture, you'll need to not worry too much about the recipe's suggestion of 8-9 cups of flour. Instead, pay more attention to the dough itself.
- Too little flour and the dough will stick to your hands. You should be able to shape the dough without flouring your hands. The dough may be a little greasy (yay butter!), but it should not be sticky.
- Too much flour and the dough will crack as you try to shape it.
Second Top Tip
Beat the egg whites until frothy before brushing on!
- You don't want gloopy egg whites. This will result in areas of the cookie with lots of egg whites and areas with none at all.
- The key is to beat the egg whites (a fork or whisk works fine) vigorously until they are frothy and have an even, runny consistency.
- Once you've done this, use a pastry brush to evenly brush the whites all over the cookies.
- The result will be a gorgeous, glistening, golden brown coating!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Traditional Koulourakia are made from the most simple ingredients!
Just don't skip the orange zest! - That's the flavor that brings the magic.
- Unsalted butter (room temperature)
- Sugar
- 8 eggs - 2 whole, 6 separated
- Orange juice
- Brandy
- Baking soda
- Vanilla extract
- Orange rind
- Baking powder
- All purpose flour
Variations on Recipe
- Regina explains that Koulouria just means shaped or round, and true Koulouria is not a cookie, but a round pastry, similar to a bagel. Here's a video from Dimitri's Dishes all about making Koulouria, traditional Greek Bread Rings. These are usually covered with sesame seeds.
- A few do make Koulourakia with sesame seeds and olive oil (especially if you'd prefer Vegan Koulourakia).
- You can always substitute a different citrus zest for the orange zest, although the traditional recipe very definitely is orange flavored!
Instructions
- You'll cream the butter and sugar, then slowly add in everything else, scraping down the sides of the bowl of your stand mixer as you go. Remember to add flour to FEEL, not to the recipe! 😉
- You'll probably need to use a strong wooden spoon to add the final cups of flour.
Why Add the Baking Soda to Brandy?
- Generally, you add the leavening agent to the dry ingredient, however, Regina's recipe calls for us to add the baking soda to the brandy.
- I asked Regina why and she said, "Because my mother did." 😉
- I've researched and - frankly - I can't say for sure.
- I think the best explanation comes from a reader's answer to this Food52 post. The reader says, "Most baking soda on the market is "double-acting" which means that it helps something leaven right when it's mixed with wet ingredients and then again when it's baking. My best guess is that the recipe writer wants to get the first leaven done so that whatever you're making doesn't rise too much. Would that make sense for the recipe?"
- If you know, please let me know!!!!
Shaping the Koulourakia
The really fun part is creating the variety of shapes!!! If you include kids, you'll have even more fun. Mine had all the best ideas 😉
- Begin by grabbing about a golf ball portion of dough.
- Roll to about a 1/2 inch in diameter and 7-9 inches long. If it gets too long, just pinch out the end.
- Snails/Spirals: Just anchor one end in place and coil around into a spiral shape.
- Elephant's ears: Lay the log flat, then spiral both ends in toward each other.
- Heart: Take the elephant's ears, then pinch the flat part into a heart.
- Braid/Twist: Create an X with both close to the center. Continue to cross the dough until you get to the ends.
- S shape: Lay the log vertically, then roll the ends in opposite directions until the S shape forms. Continue to roll until there is no space between the two ends of the S.
Baking Time
- This is the one place where I quibble with Regina's recipe - hers says 35 minutes, but I found 15 at 350 was adequate, using my oven. I'd suggest starting with 15 in your oven and adding time from there.
- Although I didn't use parchment paper, I do suggest it. My cookies stuck just a bit to the baking pans.
- Cool on a wire rack.
Chilling/Freezing
- If you're not ready to shape immediately, that's fine. Tightly cover or wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate (covered) or freeze (well-wrapped, up to 3 months).
- Because this recipe makes such a large quantity, you may like to set half aside for later. Either refrigerate or freeze.
- When you're ready to shape, allow the dough to come up to room temperature.
- You can also freeze the cooked and cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Equipment
- A stand mixer makes this one a lot easier!
- Parchment paper
- Cookie sheets and cooling racks
- An orange zester!
More Mediterranean Recipes
More Cookie Recipes Around the World
Listen to Regina's Episode
This is the story of a Holocaust survivor. It is a complicated story, with layers of historical and political realities I had no idea of before this interview, reminding us story is different than a simple narrative - and that we can never assume someone’s story without actually listening to them.
And Regina’s story is actually two stories of two families - both Greek, one Jewish and one not. It is a story of survival, yes, and it is also a story of sacrifice, love, and gratitude.
After you listen - tell me - do not these things not leave a legacy that is greater and more enduring than acts of hate and destruction?
Recipe
Koulourakia Recipe: Traditional Greek Orange Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 sticks Unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 2/3 cups Sugar
- 2 Eggs (whole)
- 6 Egg yolks, save the whites
- 1/2 cup Orange juice
- 2 tablespoon Brandy
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda, (to put in the brandy)
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 tablespoon Orange rind
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder in flour
- 8 cups (to 9 cups) Flour
Instructions
Cue Up The Episode!
- Make sure you listen to Regina's episode on The Storied Recipe Podcast, A Holocaust Survivor Shares Her Story while you make her beautiful Koulourakia cookies!
Make The Recipe
- Cream butter and sugar.
- Separate 6 of the 8 eggs. Set aside the 6 whites.
- Add two eggs and 6 yolks to the butter and sugar.
- Add all ingredients except flour.
- Mix 1 teaspoon baking powder into 1 cup of flour. Add to mixture.
- Add flour one cup at a time until the dough is smooth and just past the point of sticky. You should be able to handle and shape the dough without flouring your hands. You may need to use a spoon to stir in the last few cups of flour.
- Beat the egg whites until frothy and not gloopy.
- Brush cookies with egg whites.
- Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
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