Classic and delicious orange and warm spice cookies!
Ladokouloura are very delicious, traditional Greek-style cookies made with light olive oil, orange, and warm spices. They’re light, tender, and just happen to be vegan. No dairy. No Eggs. So, they’re perfect for the Lent season upon us!
Ladokouloura means olive oil cookies, and because the olive oil flavor really shines through, I always use good-quality olive oil. The freshly squeezed orange juice adds beautiful citrus flavor and pairs so well with cinnamon and cloves. Everyone will love these!
Why will everyone love these?
Crisp and tender,
Orange citrus and
Warm cinnamon, clove spice
With a little walnut crunch.
An easy, delicious vegan cookie!
What do I need for these cookies?
Olive oil -or light vegetable oil to blend with the orange and spice flavors. If you use extra virgin olive oil or robust flavor oil, know that the olive oil flavor will be even stronger and may overpower the other flavors.
Freshly squeezed orange juice -fresh is always best, and what else can you do with an orange after you zest it anyway? Ha!
Granulated sugar -gives the cookie just the right amount of sweetness.
Pure vanilla extract -a good quality one adds the best flavor.
Ground cinnamon -the perfect sweet and spicy flavor.
Ground cloves -sweet, warm flavor that pairs perfectly with cinnamon.
All-purpose flour -I haven’t tried other flours, but let me know if you do and how they turn out.
Zest of 2 oranges -remember to zest before juicing because it’s almost impossible the other way around.
Baking powder -helps keep the cookie light and airy.
Baking soda -gives the cookie a slight chewiness.
Ground walnuts -I love the crunchiness and mild flavor of walnuts, so I use them instead of sesame seeds. But use whichever you like.
Have I seen ladokouloura rolled in sesame seeds?
Yes! You can add sesame seeds to the cookie dough, or the cookies can be rolled in sesame seeds after they are formed. Then, you bake the cookies as usual.
How do I prep this recipe?
Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C, and zest the oranges before juicing them. Then, chop the walnuts in a food processor until they resemble coarse crumbs.
Which dry ingredients do I mix into the flour?
Combine the flour, baking powder, and orange zest in a large bowl and whisk all the ingredients together.
What about the sugar?
In another bowl, combine the olive oil, orange juice, water, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla extract. Whisk well to incorporate all the ingredients.
How do I bring the dough together?
Add the flour mixture a little at a time, whisking to combine. When the mixture becomes too thick to whisk, mix the rest of the flour in with your hands. Then, add the walnuts and mix until combined. At this point, the dough will seem wet and sticky, but set it aside for 5 minutes, and it will become a very pliable cookie dough. Add a half to 1 cup of flour if needed. (see video)
How do I form the cookies?
Cut the dough into walnut-sized balls. This recipe makes about 45 cookies. Roll the balls into logs and place them onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Leave some room in between each cookie for rising. They will also spread slightly while baking.
How long do I bake olive oil cookies?
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the cookies become slightly browned around the edges. It’s a good idea to also rotate the trays halfway through baking and switch the bottom tray to the upper rack and the top tray to the bottom. This will ensure even baking. Cool the cookies on cooling racks.
What’s the best way to serve these cookies?
They’re so, so delicious with a cup of coffee, tea, or a glass of milk. Serve them at room temperature and store them in an airtight container until they’re all eaten. They don’t freeze well, so you just have to eat them all. Ha!
What are some other traditional Greek cookies?
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know there are a ton of them on my channel. Search for Greek cookies on my blog, and you’ll find a ton of choices. With Easter around the corner, try my vanilla and chocolate Easter butter cookies known as Greek koulourakia. Karidata are Greek walnut meringue cookies, and if you’re looking for sweet and sticky, try my melomakarona Greek honey cookies.
Do you have more vegan cookies?
Yes! Greek Tahini cookies, Vegan koulourakia, Greek vegan grape molasses cookies known as moustokouloura, and classic melomakarona with semolina… to name a few!
watch the video
Ladokouloura: Greek-style Olive Oil Cookies (vegan)
The traditional Greek cookies are made with light olive oil, orange, and warm spices. They're so delicious with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups olive oil or vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 cups all purpose flour (plus maybe 1 cup more if needed)
- zest of 2 oranges
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup ground walnuts
optional:
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
- Zest the oranges before juicing them.
- Place the walnuts in a food processor and chop until they resemble coarse crumbs.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and orange zest in a large bowl and whisk all the ingredients together.
- In another bowl, combine the olive oil, orange juice, water, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla extract. Whisk well to incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Add the flour mixture a little at a time whisking to combine.
- When the mixture becomes to thick to whisk, mix the rest of the flour in with your hands.
- Add the walnuts and mix until combined.
- At this point the dough will seem wet and sticky.
- Set it aside for 5 minutes and it will come together and become a very pliable cookie dough. Add a half to 1 cup of flour if needed. (see video)
- Cut the dough into walnut sized balls. This recipe makes about 45.
- Roll the balls into logs and place onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Leave some room in between each cookie for rising. They will also spread slightly while baking.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the cookies become slightly browned around the edges.
- It is a good idea to also rotate the trays halfway through baking. Switch the bottom tray to the upper rack and the top tray on the bottom. This will ensure even baking.
- Cool the cookies on cooling racks.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Sesame seeds can be added to the cookie dough or the cookies can be rolled in sesame after they are formed.
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Linda Mason says
You weren’t kidding!! These are delicious!
Everyone really, really liked them. Thank you!
Vicky says
Can I shape this dough into regular koulourakia twists?
dimitra says
You can give that a try and if they’re breaking then, stick to the simple shape. I’d live to know how they turn out 🙂
Rajni anand says
I have made this recipe like for twice . And these are awesome . I even paired them with cream cheese frosting . Very delicious . Thank you for the beautiful recipe . Much love
Mary says
These are great! My “walnut sizing” was a bit generous so these beauties came out bigger than expected so next time I’ll know.
Great recipe and delicious.
Thanks for sharing!
Carol Miller says
These cookies are just the perfect texture and sweetness. I give them 10 stars for excellence. Your ingredients and directions are very precise and easy to follow. Even my Greek husband gives them a thumbs up. Would they still bake the same if I made them in circles rather than logs? I did not use all of the dough. I covered what I didn’t use and will bake the rest in a couple of days. I will let you know how this works.