Olive oil koulourakia with orange and cinnamon
Greek olive oil koulourakia with orange and cinnamon. These vegan (and lenten) Greek twist cookies are made with simple ingredients and topped with cinnamon sugar before baking. Easy to make, and even easier to eat – you will love them!
Growing up in a Greek home, koulourakia were always available! These Greek twist cookies, perfect for dunking into a glass of milk, or a cup of coffee for the grown-ups, were offered as after school snacks, a sweet breakfast, and to guests who came visiting. There was always an occasion for koulourakia. My parents are amazing cooks and bakers and their koulourakia are truly some of the best I have tasted. Whether it was their classic koulourakia made with ammonia (yes, ammonia!), or their Easy 5 ingredient Greek koulourakia, I love them all. You can actually find all of their recipes in my post Best Greek koulourakia recipes. These olive oil koulourakia flavoured with orange and cinnamon were particular favourites.
Why I love this recipe
There are so many reasons that I love this recipe! Give them a try and let me know why you love them in the comments!
The flavour is amazing
I love the orange and cinnamon flavour, and there is just the right amount of sweetness in these koulourakia. The cinnamon sugar topping is also amazing, and adds both texture and flavour to the cookies.
They are easy!
These koulourakia are perfectly easy to make. In fact, one year Helen and I visited a local Greek elementary school and baked these koulourakia (and lazarakia) with hundreds of children! They had so much fun shaping these cookies, and they did a great job! It was a bit chaotic, but in the most wonderful way – and the koulourakia turned out great!
They are perfect with coffee
When I want to treat myself, I make a Greek coffee and grab a few of these koulourakia. The are perfect for dunking in coffee, tea or a glass of milk!
Key ingredients
Olive oil I like to make these koulourakia with olive oil. You can really taste the oil, and it gives a lovely flavour and colour to the koulourakia.
White sugar I use white sugar both in the dough and in the cinnamon sugar topping. It is great for adding sweetness but without a pronounced flavour.
Brown sugar I also add brown sugar to my dough to give a caramel flavour. So good!
Orange juice I also need orange zest in this recipe, so I use my orange for the juice as well. Fresh juice is always best! If I do not have enough orange juice from my one orange, I either squeeze another orange or I use a good quality bottled orange juice.
Orange zest I use a microplane zester to get the zest off my orange. I am careful to avoid any of the white pith, which could be bitter.
Flour I use all purpose flour in this recipe. It is easy to find, inexpensive (usually) and perfect for baking most things. In some places it is called plain or regular flour.
Baking powder & baking soda Together these make my koulourakia rise and have a beautiful texture.
Salt I always add a bit of salt to my baking; your koulourakia will not taste salty, but all other flavours will be enhanced because of the salt!
Cinnamon A key ingredient in these koulourakia – I add cinnamon both to the dough and to the cinnamon sugar that I use to sprinkle onto the cookies.
How to make
These koulourakia are really easy to make. They only require a few ingredients and the recipe itself makes about 22 cookies – a manageable amount that you can prepare and bake quickly.
Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare your ingredients, including zesting and juicing your orange
Instructions
Step 1
Add your olive oil, sugars, orange juice and orange zest in a medium size bowl. Whisk a few minutes to combine.
Step 2
In a small bowl whisk together 1/4 cup flour, the baking powder, the baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Step 3
Add this combination to the bowl containing the oil mixture. Stir well with a wooden spoon to combine.
Step 4
Add 1 cup of flour and stir well to combine. Try to mix enough so all flour is incorporated.
Step 5
Add another cup of flour and mix till all the ingredients are combined. At this point you’ll probably want to mix with your hands.
Step 6
Set the dough aside for 20 minutes. This is a crumbly dough and letting it sit will help it become more manageable.
Step 7
While your dough rests, make your cinnamon sugar by whisking together the sugar and cinnamon.
Step 8
Taking one tablespoon of dough (about 28-29 grams) at a time, knead in your hands, roll into a 5-6 inch log, form your shapes and place on a parchment lined baking pan. Before baking, sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top of each cookie.
Step 9
Bake at 350 degrees F, in the middle rack of your oven for about 15 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden. Let cool on a baking rack, and store in a covered container once completely cooled.
Baking tips
The dough can be crumbly
The most important thing to know about this recipe is that the dough can be crumbly. I let the dough rest for about 20 minutes before shaping them, and I find that this helps the dough be less crumbly. Before I shape each cookie, I knead the dough in my hands first and then I shape the koulourakia. Intricate and complicated shapes may not work well here (the dough will break apart), so I usually stick with an “S” shaped cookie. Don’t worry – once the cookies are baked they hold up really well.
Weigh your dough
I like to use a kitchen scale to make sure that each koulouraki is the same size – this makes for easy baking. You don’t need to spend a lot on a kitchen scale. I absolutely love this kitchen scale because it is available online, works really well, does not cost much, and is easy to store.
Recipe can be doubled, or halved
It is really easy to double or half a recipe that contains no eggs! The original recipe will make about 22 cookies – you can easily double or half the recipe.
Recipe substitutions
These koulourakia are amazing in part because of the olive oil. However, if you prefer, you can make them with a different oil. Something like canola or vegetable oil would work out fine, although the flavour and colour will be different.
Frequently asked questions
What are koulourakia?
Koulourakia are Greek cookies, or some would say biscuits. There are many versions and there are many ways to shape them. Koulourakia are often not overly sweet, and frequently contain flavours of orange or vanilla or even masticha. Sometimes they contain orange juice, or ouzo. There are really so many varieties, and they are almost always perfect for dunking into a cup of coffee, tea, or a glass of milk.
Why did my koulourakia crack?
If your cookies crack on the surface, it could be that there is too much flour in the dough. I recommend weighing your flour for this recipe (and most recipes). You can use a kitchen scale like this one, which is inexpensive, works well, and is easy to store!
What is the best way to store koulourakia?
These koulourakia will stay fresh, stored at room temperature in a well sealed container, for a few weeks. Any longer and they can be kept in the refrigerator.
Can I freeze these olive oil koulourakia with orange and cinnamon?
Yes, you can. I like to freeze my koulourakia by placing them in a freezer safe bag and removing as much air as possible.
Recipe variations
I really enjoy these koulourakia because they are vegan and therefore perfect for lent. If you are looking for other types of vegan Greek cookies, you can consider making Greek moustokouloura cookies (Grape must cookies with petimezi) or these amazing Tahini honey cookies. I also make lenten (vegan) Koulourakia with orange.
Serving size
This recipe will make about 22 cookies, with each one using 28-29 grams of dough. The recipe can easily be doubled, or halved.
Storing
These koulourakia will keep for a week or two at room temperature. If you will be storing them for longer you can keep them in the refrigerator. They also freeze really well. To thaw, simply leave them at room temperature.
Related recipes
If you love these koulourakia, then I am sure you will also enjoy these amazing Greek koulourakia cookies:
Koulourakia (traditional, with ammonia) These amazing koulourakia are soft on the inside and firm on the outside. A classic Greek twist cookie made with ammonia.
Easy 5 ingredient Greek koulourakia As the name implies, these are easy! Crumbly and absolutely delicious.
Greek butter koulourakia with a chocolate twist How fun are these! These buttery cookies are a dream, and I can’t get enough of them!
Koulourakia with orange (Lentenι) Perfect for lent, these are some of my favourite koulourakia. Love the orange flavour.
Sign up for our newsletter!
We love to hear from you!
Drop us a comment and let us know what you think about this recipe!
Recipe
Olive oil koulourakia with orange and cinnamon
Print Pin RateIngredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup brown or golden sugar
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- zest of one orange
- 2 ¼ cups flour, divided
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Cinnamon sugar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F
- Add your olive oil, sugars, orange juice and orange zest in a medium size bowl. Whisk a few minutes to combine.1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown or golden sugar, 1/2 cup orange juice, zest of one orange
- In a small bowl whisk together 1/4 cup flour, the baking powder, the baking soda, salt and cinnamon.2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 ¼ cups flour, divided
- Add this combination to the bowl containing the oil mixture. Stir well with a wooden spoon to combine.
- Add 1 cup of flour and stir well to combine. Try to mix enough so all flour is incorporated.
- Add another cup of flour and mix till all the ingredients are combined. At this point you'll probably want to mix with your hands.
- Set aside for 20 minutes. This is a bit of a crumbly dough and letting it sit will help it become more manageable.
- While your dough rests, make your cinnamon sugar by whisking together the sugar and cinnamon.2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Taking one tablespoon of dough (about 28-29 grams) at a time, knead in your hands, roll into a 5-6 inch log, form your shapes and place on a parchment lined baking pan. Before baking sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top of each cookie.
- Bake at 350 degrees F, in the middle rack of your oven for about 15 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden. Let cool on a baking rack, and store in a covered container once completely cooled.