Greek Koulourakia Soula Varaklis

Greek Koulourakia Soula Varaklis History: Many years ago (in the 1940s) there was nothing Greek in Canada. Since very few housewives who had emigrated to Canada spoke English, the big thing was to have someone order Greek items from New York City. The most popular item was a small calendar, usually with a picture of an icon on top, and on the bottom were the days of the year, one small page at a time which also noted the feast days, and with recipes on the back. I still have the original one my mother used. It is a little worn, but that little piece of paper (about 3 by 4 inches) brings back so many, many memories. I'd like to share my mother's very old recipe with you (translated from the Greek). Ingredients: 3/4 pound butter (unsalted) 1 cup confectioner's sugar 2 eggs 1 shot glass brandy (optional) 1 tsp baking powder Zest from two lemons Flour as needed Directions: 1. Beat butter well with mixer and slowly add sugar, beat well 2. Add eggs, lemon zest, brandy and baking powder and blend well 3. Start adding flour, one cup at a time and mix BY HAND. Continue adding flour until you have a soft, pliable mixture. Knead slightly, cover with plastic and let sit for an hour or so. 4. Start heating your oven to 350 degrees F. 5. Measure out one SMALL scoop of mixture, work it a little in your hand, roll it out so that you have a strip of dough about 5-­‐6 inches long. Fold it in half and twist. 6. When you have filled a baking sheet, beat an egg white and brush each cookie. Some folks sprinkle sesame seeds on the cookies at this point, my mom did not. 7. Bake for 30-­‐35 minutes or until slightly golden. 8. Cool and store in cookie tin. It may appear that this method is time consuming, and perhaps it is, but you have a great cookie that lasts for weeks. My mom didn't like big koulourakia so she made them small. Every single one was uniform in size, about three inches long, they were perfectly formed and delicious! Thank you for letting me share a lovely memory. -­‐ Soula Varaklis, Portland, Maine