What Greek cookies are traditionally shaped into twists for Easter?

What Greek cookies are traditionally shaped into twists for Easter? The answer is koulourakia. These buttery Greek Easter biscuits are hand-shaped before baking, often into spirals, braided rings, hairpin twists, figure eights, horseshoes, or twisted wreaths. Their shapes vary by family and region, so the twist is a traditional style rather than a single mandatory form.

Koulourakia are usually made with butter, flour, sugar, eggs, and flavorings such as vanilla or citrus. The shaped dough is commonly brushed with egg wash, which gives the finished cookies a glossy golden surface. Sesame seeds are also a familiar decoration, and some versions use a clove for aroma.

They are prepared around Greek Easter and traditionally eaten after Holy Saturday, when the Lenten fast ends. Their name is related to koulouri, a ring-shaped bread or roll, with the diminutive ending suggesting a small ring or roll. Koulourakia are different from kourabiedes, crumbly almond cookies usually associated with Christmas, and from melomakarona, syrup-soaked honey cookies.