Koulourakia are delicious all year round! These Pumpkin Koulourakia are the perfect treat for the Fall season.
From Lizz: The women in our family are not the only ones who like to be in the kitchen. My husband Mark loves to cook and he is especially a great baker. One of our family traditions has become for Mark and Stephanie to make his Yiayia Foto’s koulourakia during the holidays. As with all of his yiayia’s recipies, this recipe is tried and true and they always come out with perfect koulourakia!
This year Stephanie wanted to try something a little different and made Yiayia Foto’s koulourakia with a Fall Harvest twist. She added some pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice to the traditional recipe and created Pumpkin Koulourakia Greek Cookies. They turned out sooooo good! The subtle taste of pumpkin and the pumpkin pie spices make these cookies perfect for the upcoming Fall holidays.
HOW TO MAKE KOULOURAKIA
- Beat butter until smooth and light.
- Add 1 cup of sugar, beat to incorporate and set aside.
- Separate the egg yolks and whites. Then beat the yolks until light and fluffy (about 2 min).
- Add 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla to the egg yolks, and beat to incorporate all ingredients.
- Add the egg mixture to the butter mixture and lightly beat to incorporate. Then add the pumpkin puree and lightly beat to incorporate the pumpkin.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff.
- Fold egg whites into the butter/egg/sugar/pumpkin mixture.
- In a separate bowl, combine your dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice. Then begin to add that mixture 1 cup at a time to the egg/butter/sugar/pumpkin mixture. Continue adding flour until you’ve reached the desired consistency. The dough should be smooth and not too sticky. You may need to add up to a 7th cup of flour depending on the consistency of the pumpkin.
- At this time, set your oven for 325 degrees F. On a large lightly floured cutting board, roll a piece of dough (approximately 1/8 of a cup) 1″ in diameter to about 8″ long
- Fold the dough in half, and twist to shape
- Place your koulourakia on a greased baking sheet. Optional: Mix 1 egg with 1 tbsp of water, and lightly brush each cookie with the egg wash.
- Bake for 25-30 min, or until golden brown.
WHAT CONSISTENCY SHOULD MY DOUGH BE?
The dough should be smooth and not too sticky so that you are able to easily roll and mold it by hand. You may need to add up to a 7th cup of flour depending on the consistency of the pumpkin. If you end up adding too much flour, you can add a little bit more pumpkin puree to balance it out.
CAN I ADD MORE PUMPKIN PUREE?
You can absolutely add more pumpkin puree. Just note that the more you add, the more flour you will have to add as well.
Koulourakia Recipe
Pumpkin Koulourakia – Greek Cookies
Ingredients
- 10 oz unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 6 eggs
- 2 1/4 tbsp baking powder
- 7 cups flower
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 egg+1 tablespoon of water for egg wash; optional
Instructions
- Use a hand or stand mixer to beat butter until smooth and light. Then add 1 cup of sugar, beat to incorporate and set aside.
- Separate yolks and whites from eggs.
- Use a hand mixer to beat yolks until light (around 2 minutes), then add 1 cup of sugar and vanilla and continue beating until well incorporated.
- Combine egg/sugar/vanilla mixture with butter/sugar mixture in stand mixer.
- Add pumpkin puree to the butter/sugar/egg/vanilla mixture and combine well.. Set aside.
- Beat egg whites until stiff. Then fold them into the butter/egg/sugar/pumpkin mixture.
- In a separate bowl, combine your dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice.
- To the egg/butter/sugar/pumpkin mixture, begin adding the flour/baking powder/pumpkin pie spice mixture, 1/2 cup at a time. Once all 6 cups have been added and well incorporated, check the consistency of the dough. The dough should be smooth and not too sticky so that you are able to easily roll and mold it by hand. Add additional flour, if needed, 1/4 cup at a time, until reaching the desired consistency.
- At this time, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. On a large cutting board, roll a piece of dough 1" in diameter to about 8" long.
- Fold the dough in half and twist to shape. Place on a greased cookie sheet.
- Optional: Mix one egg with 1 tbsp of water. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat each cookie with the egg wash.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
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