Greek Lemon Cookies - Koulourakia Lemoniou

Everyone in my family loves koulourakia! My kids always want to get involved, either with mixing the ingredients or with shaping the cookies. Then there is the hovering around the kitchen until they finally come out of the oven. If you have ever been to a Greek bakery, you probably have noticed a great variety of cookies and biscuits. With nuts or no nuts, buttery or vegan, with or without sesame seeds, and many different flavors coming either from spices or fruits. The reason we have so many different types of biscuits is that they are the perfect companion to a cup of Greek coffee and that koulourakia have a long shelf life, making the perfect dessert when we didn’t have any fridges.

These Greek lemon cookies are harder than normal cookies and have a strong citrus flavor. They don’t have any butter, eggs or dairy in them which makes them perfect for Lent periods or if you are vegan. I like to make them in a round shape but you could be playful and make different shapes or use cookie cutters. Just be mindful that they will puff up a little bit since they contain baking powder in them.

If you are looking for more Greek cookies (koulourakia) recipes then you could try my orange cookies or my grape molasses cookies which are also both vegan and crunchy like these Greek lemon koulourakia.

Why you should try my recipe

• Very easy to prepare, you just mix the ingredients with a spatula or by hand.
• Ready in less than 40 minutes.
• Great dippers for coffee or a glass of milk.
• Long shelf life.

Ingredients & How-to

To make these Greek lemon cookies we are going to need all-purpose flour, baking powder, lemon zest, lemon juice, powdered sugar (icing) and olive oil.

For full quantities check the recipe card down below.

01. I start by mixing the powdered sugar and oil together. I find that powdered sugar dissolves more easily than caster sugar. I’m using a light olive oil rather than extra-virgin since it has a milder taste and I find it better for baking. You could also use any other high quality vegetable oil you like and have at home.

02. Next, I add the zest from one lemon and a third cup of lemon juice, that’s about the juice from 2 lemons. I whisk everything together and now it’s time for the dry ingredients.

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03. I add the flour and baking powder to the bowl. Using my hands or a spatula, I mix everything together. Do not overwork the dough, just mix it enough to incorporate the flour.

04. I start shaping my lemon cookies by grabbing a little bit of the dough, about 30grams or 1oz. I make a little ball and then pat it to flatten it out a little bit.

05. I place the cookies on a lined baking tray leaving about a finger space between them. Since we are adding baking powder to them, they will slightly grow and we don’t want them to stick to each other.

06. My oven is preheated to 350F / 180C and the first tray goes in. I’m baking the cookies for 20-25 minutes until they have a light brown color. While the first tray is baking, I proceed with the next tray. You could bake two trays at a time if your oven allows.

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Tips

• Don’t overwork the dough as the oil will separate resulting in hard cookies.
• Use a lined baking tray to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the tray.
• Leave the cookies to cool down for 5-10 minutes before removing from the tray.

Serving suggestions

You could serve these Greek lemon cookies plain or sprinkle some powdered sugar on top. They are great with a cup of coffee or tea or with some milk for the little ones.

Storage

I recommend storing the lemon koulourakia in an airtight container. They could last a couple of weeks but we usually devour them within a few days!

FAQ

• Can I store the koulourakia dough in the fridge? I recommend shaping and baking the koulourakia straight away rather than keeping the dough for later on. Usually with dough that has oil instead of butter it’s better to work with it without resting.