It is Easter in Greece and the all the usual preparations have began. Easter, as many other Orthodox holidays in Greece, is a great opportunity for family bonding and get togethers. We’ve shared recipes from our Greek islands in the past and you love them. Remember the popular Halki pasta recipe? So, we’ve decided to share another great recipe for you, this time it’s our favorite Greek Easter butter cookies, also known as “Smyrneika”.
We have fond memories of our grandmothers together with our mothers, spending countless hours in the kitchen to make a selection of Greek Easter cookies, cheese pies and “tsourekia” (an aromatic, soft type of sweet bread).
These are made predominantly to be given as gifts to friends and family during the Easter holidays.
If you like to bring the smells of Greek Easter into your home, here is a well tested recipe for Greek Easter butter cookies – crunchy, fragrant and full of taste. Please beware, the recipe makes a lot of cookies!
Greek Easter Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.750 gr of all purpose flour
- 250ml of sunflower oil
- 375 gr of sugar
- 60ml cognac
- 60ml fresh orange juice
- 120ml fresh milk
- 1 egg yolk
- 500 gr butter
- 20 gr baking powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- To baste the cookies prior to baking, beat together 1 egg yolk and a splash of milk
Method
Preheat your over at 180C.
Prepare your ingredients and have them all at room temperature. Start by beating the butter in the mixer to soften it. Add the sunflower oil and mix for a further 2 minutes.
Each time you add one of the ingredients to your mixer, make sure you mix for 1-2 minutes between each addition. Add the sugar, then the egg yolk, then your milk, then the orange juice, then your cognac, the vanilla, the baking powder and lastly gradually add the flour.
At this stage you will have a dough which you should knead by hand and the result is a well combined dough.
Take little pieces from your dough and shape your cookies, simply by joining them together in a circle or in various shapes, as you can see in the photo above. Finally, baste them with your egg yolk and milk mixture.
Bake in your preheated oven, 180C, for 15-20 minutes, until they turn a lovely golden colour.
