KOULOURAKIA (TWISTED COOKIES)

This is my YiaYia’s recipe that my Mom made all the time for us growing up.  It's one of my favorite cookies and yummy with a cup of tea or hot chocolate.

Koulourakia  (Twisted cookies with sesame seeds)

Cookie Dough

1 cup butter

7 large eggs

1 cup orange juice

Zest of half lemon

Zest of half an orange

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon vanilla

10 cups flour

1 cup crisco

3 cups sugar

5 teaspoons baking powder

Topping

1 egg

1 tbsp water

¼ c sesame seeds

Topping Prep 

Whisk egg and water together

Sprinkle the ¼ cup  sesame seeds over cookies

Cookie Dough Prep

Melt butter and crisco in a pan.  In a separate bowl mix 9 cups of the flour and baking powder

Mix in a large bowl, eggs, sugar, orange juice, vanilla, zest of lemon and orange, cinnamon, cloves. Then add melted butter and Crisco.

Add baking powder/flour one cup at a time.  Add ¼ cup flour to the counter top and take dough out of the mixer bowl and mix the rest of the flour (1 cup) in by hand slowly.

Roll dough out and twist and put cookies on an ungreased sheet/cookie pan.

Use pastry brush and dab each cookie with egg wash and then top with sesame seeds.

Bake 350 til golden, 10-12 mins.

Enjoy!