From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have been blogging for such a long time now, that it is getting harder to find new recipes, particularly ethnic recipes, for the holiday table. I decided to search out cookie recipes this year and one of the first I stumbled on was a Greek Easter cookie called Koulourakia. The only problem with that choice was selecting which of the staggering number of recipes for the cookie I wanted to use. In the end, I settled on two. Koulourakia is a barely sweet cookie that can be shaped according to the whim of the cook. Traditionally, however, the dough is twisted and sprinkled with sesame seeds before being baked. In theory, the cookies are wonderful when served with coffee or tea or nibbled while sipping a sweet liqueur. They, at least the ones created by my hands, are a bit like a soft biscotti or a madeleine. I thought the first batch I made, despite the addition of orange juice, was too mildly flavored and I would have enjoyed them more had some zest been worked into the cookie dough. Never easily deterred, and convinced that a million Greeks can't be wrong, I tried a second recipe that seemed more flavorful. I really liked the second batch of cookies. They were not overly sweet but they had a flavor that was more to my liking. While both cookies are buttery and would be perfect with coffee or tea, my personal preference is for the second cookie which was developed by the test kitchens of Imperial Sugar. I do hope you'll give one or both of these recipes a try. Here is how they are made.
