Recipe: Greek Olive Oil Spicy Cookies (Koulouria tou ladiou)

GREEK OLIVE OIL SPICY COOKIES
(KOULOURIA TOU LADIOU)

"This recipe is unique in that it is prepared during periods of fasting when butter, eggs, milk and cheese are not allowed. My Mother brought this with her from Greece decades ago. You cannot eat just one and walk away."

1 (8 oz) glass or cup of olive oil
1 (8 oz) glass or cup of fresh orange juice
grated rinds of 1 orange and 1 lemon
1 (8 oz) glass or cup of granulated sugar
2 tbsp Crisco (this was added after she found out about crisco making the cookies crispy), melted
1 tsp heaping ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 to 2 oz cognac or bourbon
all purpose flour

Mix olive oil, sugar and melted Crisco well in a large mixer bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator over night. (She insisted on doing it this way but it works just as well for me without this step.)

The next day, mix well again then add grated orange and lemon rinds, orange and lemon juices, cinnamon, vanilla extract, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and cognac or bourbon. Using the mixer, mix well and gradually mix in flour one cup at a time until it begins to get hard on the mixer to mix. Then using your hands work in additional flour to where the dough becomes soft and shiny and not sticky (should be indication that you are set). Test the dough by pinching off a bit and rolling it between your two hands. If it is elastic and holds together, you are okay. If it crumbles in the center, you have used too much flour. Start rolling out the dough large bits at a time to form a long rope.

Using a knife, cut off what ever length you desire and either twist it or make a circular cookie and line them up on a cookie sheet till filled. They are tastier if you roll them out thin but not too thin. If you have the time and patience, you can brush a beaten egg(s) on the tops of each of the larger rolled out ones and sprinkle with sesame seeds. More than one cookie sheet will be needed, perhaps 3 or 4 depending on how large or small you make them.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until slightly browned on top. Allow to cool 15 minutes before removing and storing in a cookie jar.

Source: Steve Leontis, 2001