Chef Dimitra
Amygdalota Hydras kai Androu (Αμυγδαλωτά Ύδρας και Άνδρου)
Hydra and Andros give amygdalota their island surname: ground almond, sugar, egg white, and rosewater, baked pale so the center stays soft as marzipan.
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Thessaloniki Koulourakia Paschalina (Κουλουράκια Πασχαλινά)
Created by
Thessaloniki Easter koulourakia are Holy Thursday butter cookies, braided small, brushed with egg, and baked deep gold so the orange-vanilla crumb stays tender for the week.
Pastries & Cookies
Greek
Easter
Holiday
Make Ahead
1 hr
Active Time
40 min cook•1 hr 40 min total
Yield55 to 60 cookies
Thessaloniki koulourakia paschalina are the braided butter cookies of Holy Thursday, the ones that sit beside red eggs and tsoureki until the Easter table is ready. In Macedonia they are small and ridged from the twist, egg-brushed to a deep shine, scented with orange zest and vanilla, with enough butter to make the crumb tender but not cakey.
The whole tray is decided by the dough. Add the flour slowly and stop when it feels soft, smooth, and no longer sticky; if you chase a firm dough, the cookies bake hard and dry. Let it rest twenty minutes, then roll short ropes and twist them lightly. No squeezing. A koulouraki should hold its shape without fighting your teeth.
I use baker's ammonia here because that is what the old Thessaloniki notebooks keep asking for, and the sharp smell while they bake disappears as the cookies cool. My grandmother Despina kept them in a tin above the coffee cups, not hidden well enough. A recipe written down is a recipe saved, but this one is still very much eaten.
Koulourakia Paschalina are a pan-Greek Easter sweet, but the butter-rich vanilla-orange version belongs especially to the Macedonian urban kitchen, where Holy Thursday baking also brings tsoureki and red eggs onto the table. The name is the diminutive of koulouri, a small ring or twist, and older Greek recipe notebooks often call for amonia, baker's ammonia, because it kept thin cookies light and crisp before baking powder became standard. Island and Asia Minor households scent their Easter cookies differently, which is why the region has to be named.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
unsalted butter
Quantity
250g
softened
granulated sugar
Quantity
250g
large eggs
Quantity
3
at room temperature
whole milk
Quantity
120ml
lukewarm, divided
baker's ammonia (ammonia, ammonium bicarbonate)
Quantity
5g
fresh orange juice
Quantity
15ml
vanilla extract
Quantity
5ml
unwaxed orange zest
Quantity
1 orange
all-purpose flour
Quantity
680g
plus up to 20g only if the dough remains sticky
baking powder
Quantity
8g
fine sea salt
Quantity
2g
egg yolk and milk for brushing
Quantity
1 yolk plus 15ml milk
beaten together
sesame seeds (optional)
Quantity
25g
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| unsalted buttersoftened | 250g |
| granulated sugar | 250g |
| large eggsat room temperature | 3 |
| whole milklukewarm, divided | 120ml |
| baker's ammonia (ammonia, ammonium bicarbonate) | 5g |
| fresh orange juice | 15ml |
| vanilla extract | 5ml |
| unwaxed orange zest | 1 orange |
| all-purpose flourplus up to 20g only if the dough remains sticky | 680g |
| baking powder | 8g |
| fine sea salt | 2g |
| egg yolk and milk for brushingbeaten together | 1 yolk plus 15ml milk |
| sesame seeds (optional) | 25g |
Equipment Needed
- •2 rimmed baking sheets, about 30 x 40cm
- •pastry brush
- •wire cooling rack
- •stand mixer or hand mixer
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the oven
Heat the oven to 180C conventional, or 160C fan. Line two large baking sheets with parchment. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together, then dissolve the baker's ammonia in 60ml of the lukewarm milk in a deep cup. It will foam and smell sharp. That's normal.
- 2
Cream the butter
Beat the softened butter and sugar for 4 to 5 minutes, until pale and lighter under the beater. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Beat in the orange zest, orange juice, vanilla, the remaining 60ml milk, and the dissolved ammonia milk.
- 3
Make the dough
Add the flour mixture in three additions, mixing on low or by hand until a soft dough forms. Stop when it is smooth and no longer sticky, even if a spoonful of flour is left. This is the step that decides the cookie: too much flour makes koulourakia hard and dry. Cover the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes.
If the dough still clings heavily after the rest, add only a little of the reserved flour. If it cracks as you roll, knead in 1 teaspoon of milk. - 4
Shape the braids
Pinch off 25g pieces of dough. Roll each one into an 18cm rope, fold it in half, twist the two strands lightly, and pinch the ends together. Set the koulourakia 3cm apart on the prepared sheets. Keep the twists gentle; they should look ridged, not squeezed.
- 5
Brush and seed
Brush each cookie lightly with the beaten egg yolk and milk. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using. Do not flood the twists with glaze, or the ridges lose their clean shape.
- 6
Bake deep gold
Bake one sheet at a time for 16 to 18 minutes, rotating halfway, until the ridges are deep gold and the bottoms are honey-brown. Let the cookies sit on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.
The ammonia smell fades as the cookies cool. If you can still smell it strongly after cooling, the cookies needed another minute or two in the oven. - 7
Cool and store
Cool completely before storing. Warm cookies trapped in a tin soften at once. Once cool, keep them airtight for up to 10 days, ready for Greek coffee, Easter visits, and the hand that always reaches for one more.
Chef Tips
- •Use real butter here. Olive-oil koulourakia exist in fasting and island versions, but this Easter Thessaloniki dough is a butter dough. Λίγα και καλά: a few things, and good ones.
- •Baker's ammonia gives the older bakery bite, crisp at the edge and tender inside. If you can't find it, use 14g baking powder total and accept a slightly softer cookie.
- •Bake them until properly gold. Pale koulourakia taste floury and keep badly. Deep gold is not decoration; it's flavor.
- •Serve with Greek coffee after the Easter meal, or set them out with red eggs and tsoureki for visitors. They are made ahead because the house is already busy enough on Easter morning.
Advance Preparation
- •Bring the butter and eggs to room temperature 1 hour before mixing so the dough creams smoothly.
- •Bake the koulourakia up to 10 days ahead and store airtight once completely cool.
- •Do not hold the ammonia dough overnight before baking; shape and bake it the day you mix it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 24g)
Calories
100 calories
Total Fat
4 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
2 g
Cholesterol
22 mg
Sodium
35 mg
Total Carbohydrates
14 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
2 g
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