Koulourakia~Making the Perfect Twists

12/9/2019

Welcome to our December Christmas cookies how-to video series. This week it’s all about making Koulourakia (κουλουράκια), a delicately crisp butter cookie that’s traditionally formed in the shape of an “S” or a twist, then brushed with egg and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Our focus is on how to work the dough and roll out beautiful twists, since this is the trickiest of all the shapes. Come into our kouzina and see how it’s done!

step-by-step

Now here’s a photo how-to on making Koulourakia one step at a time.

First, we couldn’t help but lick the bowl (and beater) but we don’t recommend you taste the batter like we did…there are raw eggs in there. Save your appetite for the baked cookies. They’re worth waiting for!

1. roll into a ball

4. cross over

7. fill the tray

2. roll out the ball into a rope (about 4” long)

5. twist from the top

8. brush with egg

3. fold

6. the perfect twist

9. sprinkle with sesame (if desired)

Christmas cut-outs (for children young & old-er)

Roll out the dough to ¼-inch thickness and cut out into your favorite shapes like stars, angels, and candy canes. Growing up we loved camel and tree shapes. Transfer cut-outs to your cookie sheet, brush them with beaten egg, and sprinkle with colored sugar.

cut-outs brushed with egg

baked cut-outs

I hope you enjoyed your visit to our kouzina and being a part of twisting and cutting out Koulourakia. Stay tuned for more Greek cookie videos this month!

Sign up for our e-newsletter (if you haven’t already) and stay connected on social media for cooking tips and recipes, as well as for all Kukla's Kouzina updates and news.

Thanks for following us and we’ll see you next Monday!

Until then~
Kali orexi! Good appetite!

Kelly

Copyright © 2019 Kukla's Kouzina: A Gourmet Journey~Greek Island Style / The Naked Truth About...Greek Cooking!

Web design by Kelly Salonica Staikopoulos

11 Comments

Litsa Guevara

10/17/2014 10:06:04 am

Hi Kelly! I am doing a "food project" for my Spanish class and decided to make koulourakia (my yiaya's recipe, of course). I needed pictures since it's a Power Point presentation and came upon the pictures here which are perfect. Also, I looked at some of the pictures of Karpathos and found them very interesting. My family's from the Peloponnisos. so when I see something from my parents' country that's different than how I grew up, I love it! I like this site a lot and signed up for the e-newsletter.
Efharisto!

Litsa

Kelly link

10/19/2014 10:49:50 am

Hi Litsa,
Parakalo! Thanks so much for following us. I'm glad you like the photos and good luck with you Spanish food project! No matter where we're from, we always have something special to share. Welcome to the Kukla's Kouzina family! Kali orexi!! Kelly

Suasn

12/9/2016 08:29:58 pm

I would love to see the recipe. Where is it? lol

Susan

Kelly from Kukla's Kouzina link

12/11/2016 03:04:57 pm

The recipe will be in our upcoming cookbook. Because of copyright issues, our recipes cannot be released until the book is published, with the exception of those developed for our blog. The anticipated release of the cookbook will be sometime next year. Once we have a firm date we’ll contact all of our subscribers in advance, as well as post shopping info on our website. Thanks so much for your comment!

Susan

12/11/2016 07:43:27 pm

My family is from Karpathos. Looking forward to your book! Good luck.

Kelly from Kukla's Kouzina link

12/13/2016 10:09:59 am

Thanks so much, Susan! We're excited and looking forward to sharing it with you. Happy Holidays to you and your family!

Bougainvillean

4/2/2018 06:02:37 am

The demonstrations make everything look so easy. I would love to have a go at making these cookies. I could not find the recipe here, and then I noticed that you said it would be in your cookbook. I would like some information about your cookbook. Has it been published yet?

Angela

12/15/2018 11:26:17 am

Why do my koulourakia spread out so much during baking? Do you ever use baking ammonia? I am baking now and having a problem with my dough. Any suggestions?

Kelly from Kukla's Kouzina link

12/16/2018 02:04:42 pm

Hi Angela, it could be a couple of things. First, you might need to add more flour to your recipe. There should be just enough flour added so you can roll out the koulourakia easily. Second, you might have too much sugar in your recipe. We always cover our cookie dough with a towel and let it sit for 20 minutes before rolling out the koulourakia; this allows the dough to soften and be more pliable. While we wait, we put a test cookie in the oven to make sure it doesn't spread, and if it does, we add more flour to the dough. Hope this helps!

Cathe

8/14/2023 06:59:47 pm

What would cause my Koulourakia dough shred as I roll it.I let it rest, it started rolling fine, but at about three inches it shredded long ways

Kelly from Kukla's Kouzina link

8/15/2023 09:00:16 am

Hi Cathe! First, did you switch your flour type? You should be using all-purpose for cookies (we like Heckers and Gold Medal). It's lower in gluten, allowing cookies and pastries the stretch they need to roll out. If you are using AP, could your flour be expired? Using fresh flour is important for good results. Another thing that could cause this is adding even just a little too much flour. When we make cookies, we add just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to our hands, then we do a test cookie, rolling it out and baking before letting the dough rest. This way we can see right away if the dough rolls easily and if it spreads too much while baking, then it needs more flour (adding just a little at a time until we get the proper results). Hopefully these tips will help you make the perfect koulourakia. Please let us know if you have any other questions. Kali orexi!

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