Back when I had
my first job, my first real, full time,
not-Christmas-help-in-the-cosmetics-department job, I met a Greek man with a
wonderful cookie recipe. Each year at Easter, he and his wife would bake up a
huge batch of these and distribute them to everyone in the department. Because
they looked rather plain, my expectations were low, but overwhelmed by his
sincerity, I tasted one. This was certainly proof positive that one cannot
judge a book by its cover or a cookie by its rather simple appearance; these
cookies were addicting. They are also very special, not just because they came
from a friend in whose family they had long been a tradition, but for the way,
through delicious food, they can illustrate the true meaning of Easter. The
shapes of these cookies, you see, are to represent the crown of thorns and
nails used in the crucifixion.
This
recipe makes a huge batch, but it is considered good luck to receive them, so
you will want to share them with all of your friends. (The
recipe does halve nicely if you prefer to make a smaller batch.)
Koulouria
(Greek Easter
Cookies)
1 lb.
unsalted butter
1 c. Crisco
6 eggs
4 c.
granulated sugar
1 T. vanilla
4 t.
baking powder
Dash salt
1 t. cinnamon
½ t.
freshly ground nutmeg
Juice of
one orange
¼ t.
baking soda
1 c. whole
milk
14-15 cups
flour
1 egg
1 T. water
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
In a stand
mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together butter and Crisco. In a
separate bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until thick and lemon colored.
Whisk in vanilla. Combine egg mixture with shortening mixture and beat to
blend. Blend in baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Mix baking
soda into orange juice and add all at once to above mixture. Add milk and blend
together on low speed. With mixer still running on low speed, add flour slowly.
Continue adding flour until dough is soft and pliable and doesn't stick to your
hands.
Empty
dough onto work surface. To shape, pinch off walnut-size pieces and roll into a
rope about 5" long and as big around as your finger. Shape into crowns,
thorns, or nails.
Whisk
together egg and water to make egg wash.
Place
shaped cookies onto ungreased cookie sheets and brush with egg wash. Bake about
25-30 minutes or until light golden brown.
Note: This
recipe can easily be halved, or if you are rather clever with math, cut by
thirds. The dough can be made ahead of baking up to two days prior. The
dough freezes well if you find yourself overwhelmed with cookie baking.
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