Cookies with Oil (Koulourakia Ladiou) is an easy and quick recipe to make.It is an especially popular recipe during Advent and Lent in Greece as they do not require butter or eggs. During both Lent and Advent Greek Orthodox parishioners practise ‘fasting’ ie they avoid meat, dairy and animal products. So butter and eggs are strictly prohibited during these periods.
Koulourakia stands for Koulouri which is in Greece is a round, hollow in the middle , cookie. Ladi or Lathi means oil and thus Ladiou stands for made of oil. Over the years though, it has come to mean any type of cookie! So feel free to experiment with any shape that you fancy!
The recipe requires both sunflower and olive oil. People ask me , why add olive oil? Wouldn’t the cookies be oily and heavy? The answer is , no, the Koulourakia Ladiou will neither be oily nor heavy.
The secret to making these Greek Cookies with Oil (Koulourakia Ladiou) is the lack of kneading. As you will read below in my recipe, I do not use either an electric mixer or knead them excessively. I gently mix the ingredients until the dough reach an elastic consistency. Kneading creates gluten strands within the dough which are needed for bread. Therefore, if you do not wish your Greek Cookies with Oil (Koulourakia Ladiou) to become bread like, avoid kneading.
The kitchen appliances you will require for this recipe are as follows: a precision kitchen scale, two large bowls, a small bowl and baking trays.
