Greek cuisine is famous for its desserts, including baklava, but also features a variety of cookies with unique flavors and shapes. Koulourakia, Moustokouloura, Finikia, Kourabiethes, and Melomakarona are popular Greek cookies made with ingredients like grape juice, nuts, and spices. Recipes are widely available, and ingredients can be found in most grocery stores.
Desserts and sweets are an important part of most cuisines, regardless of geographical origin. The same goes for Greek cuisine, which boasts oodles of unique confectionary treats and baked goods like baklava, a bread-like pastry made from phyllo dough covered in syrupy honey and fruit or nut toppings. However, Greek snacks aren’t just about baklava. Among the ranks of traditional Greek food are Greek biscuits. Greek cookies are like other cookies: small, flattened cakes with a crunchy or flaky texture and sweet flavor.
Greek cookies vary in shape and flavor based on purpose and geography. Each region puts its own spin on core cookies. Koulourakia, for example, are made with butter or olive oil depending on personal preference and availability. These cookies are rich and simple and are usually baked with an egg-based glaze on top for shine and to deepen the color. These cookies sometimes resemble Greek pastry snacks in shape and flavor.
Moustokouloura biscuits forego water in the ingredients list in favor of fresh grape juice. The juice, also called “must”, contains remains of grape seeds, skins and stems. While other spices may be added to these cookies, the flavor is established by the unusual inclusion of grape juice.
Finikia are Greek biscuits named after a village on the island of Santorini. The flavor of these biscuits comes from the juxtaposition of sweet and spicy notes derived from orange juice and cinnamon or nutmeg. While this Greek dessert still uses flour, chopped nuts are added for bulk, texture and flavor. These cookies are traditionally made with almonds, although walnuts are sometimes used as well. The finished cookies are topped with chopped nuts.
Some cookies are reserved for special occasions. Kourabiethes biscuits are Greek Christmas biscuits made with flour, butter and ground, toasted almonds. The finished cookie is covered in powdered sugar for a delightfully decadent treat. Melomakarona are Christmas cookies soaked in diluted honey syrup and topped with chopped nuts. The flavor and texture are similar to that of a sticky bun.
You don’t have to be Greek to enjoy Greek cookies. The recipes are widely available in cookbooks, on the internet and from some food manufacturers. The ingredients used in these Mediterranean confections are widely available and can be found in most grocery stores. Specialty ingredients like ground nuts can be found in whole foods or health food stores, and specific ingredients for Greek cookies are often obtainable from ethnic food stores and other specialty retailers.
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