Submitted by Alyssa Tecklenburg, Manager of Strategic & Administrative Initiatives, Central Administration, UCSF Health
My Story
Koulourakia are so important to Greek culture that there is even a children's song about them. My Yia yia and I would sing the song to each other when I was little, with hand motions like we were rolling dough, mimicking the wafting of the sweet smells throughout the house, and clapping with delight. When I was big enough to help her bake, she taught me how to make the twists just right. Now, I make them with other family members, usually for a holiday.
Like any traditional dish worth making, they are labor intensive and are best in larger batches because of that. But there or more to share that way! Every Greek family seems to have their own special recipe. These are crispy, but light, not too sweet, and make a perfect pairing with coffee. Pro tip: You can also pick them up from any Greek Food Festival (whenever those resume again). I hope you enjoy them!
Recipe
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Ingredients
1 lb butter
1 ½ cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tbsp vanilla
1/3 cup milk
6-6 ½ cups flour
4 tbsp baking powder
1 egg lightly beaten with 1 tbsp water
¼ cup sesame seeds
Method
Cream room temperature butter with the sugar. Lightly beat the eggs and add the vanilla and milk to the eggs. Add this mixture to the creamed butter and sugar and mix thoroughly.
Combine the flour and baking powder and carefully blend.
Cup by cup, add the flour/baking powder to the wet ingredient mixture. With the last ½ cup, or so, test out a piece of dough by rolling it into a ball and then a rope. The dough should not stick to your hands. If it sticks, add a little more flour until it no longer sticks. Be careful not to add too much flour.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let chill for at least 30 minutes in refrigerator.
To make the twists, take a heaping tablespoon of dough and make a 1 ½ inch diameter ball and roll it out to a rope about 8” in length. Carefully fold the rope in half without letting the ends stick together, then twist them twice and pinch the loose ends together gently. Place on cookie sheet. You’ll probably need to practice your technique to get it down, but don’t worry, you’ll get it!
Brush the cookies with the egg/water wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake on 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 6 dozen cookies
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