Greek Easter Cookies-Koulourakia

Greek Easter cookies-koulourakia are a holiday staple, buttery and fragrant with lovely orange notes. Our traditional cookie recipe is simple to make and perfect for an Easter indulgence or any time of the year.

If you love these easter cookies, you will also love this portokalopita-orange phyllo cake, bougatsa chaniotiki-cheese phyllo pastry or tsoureki bread!

Greek Easter Cookies-Koulourakia wrapped in a cloth, in a bowl on a wooden table. Overhead view.

Why this recipe sings

Greek cookie deliciousness! When Easter arrives, there isn’t a Greek house without trays filled with homemade cookies-koulourakia.
Flavor. Our Greek Easter cookies-koulourakia are lovely, buttery, crumbly, and soft, with citrus notes.
It is a straightforward recipe; you add all ingredients into a mixer bowl, and your cookie dough is done a few minutes later. Then, after an hour of rest, you can shape your cookies and bake them.

Here is what you need

Flour, sugar, eggs, ammonia, baking powder, an orange and a lemon, butter and milk on a table.

All-purpose flour.
Baking powder.
Ammonia. You can substitute the same amount of baking powder if unavailable.
Milk.
Butter.
Vanilla extract.
Sugar.
Fresh orange juice.
Lemon zest.
Eggs.

How to make them

Greek Easter cookies mixture in a mixer.

Put the sugar, eggs, and butter in a mixer bowl and beat for a few minutes. Add the lemon zest, vanilla extract, and orange juice and beat for a few more minutes.
Dissolve the ammonia in the milk and mix the baking powder in a cup of flour.
Add the milk to the mix. While beating, add the cup of flour with the ammonia. Continue adding the rest of the flour until the dough is soft and sticks slightly to the fingertips but is pliable. Please see the recipe notes.

Place the dough in a bowl, cover it with a cloth napkin, and let it rest for an hour.

Two hands placing a raw cookie on parchment paper on a table.

Start forming the cookies. Pinch off a small dough ball about 1 inch / 3 cm in diameter and roll it into a thin cylinder. Shape the cookies in any shape you like: braids, circles, or even flowers.

Formed Greek Easter cookies, koulourakia on parchment paper, brushed with egg wash.

Place cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and brush them with the eggwash.
Bake cookies at 175°C / 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes.

Greek Easter Cookies-Koulourakia wrapped in a cloth, in a bowl on a wooden table. Side view.

These cookies are great on their own—Crunchy, buttery and delicious. However, I love having a couple dipped into my coffee or tea for breakfast or as a snack.

At Easter, we also enjoy making a couple of loaves of tsoureki, Greek brioche bread, and cakes like this olive oil lemon cake. Other desserts include portokalopita-orange phyllo cake and syrupy pistachio baklava.

Greek Easter Cookie Q&A

What is ammonia?

Baker’s ammonia, also known as ammonium bicarbonate or ammonium carbonate, was the primary leavening agent used by bakers before baking soda and baking powder in the 19th century. Many European cookie recipes still utilize it as an ingredient.

Should I use a scale while making cookies?

I recommend using a scale when baking. In this recipe, a scale will be most helpful if you like your cookies to be the same size. You might be very good at eying your dough, so it is up to you if you want to weigh it before shaping.

What is the shape of Greek Easter cookies?

The shape of koulourakia is usually a braid. But you can do any form you like. Round twisty, an infinity shape, all is good.