KOULOURAKIA or... Greek butter cookies

By TheKitchenQueen

Ingredients

• 1 cup sweet butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 shot of your favorite cognac
• zest and juice of one orange
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 & 1/2 cups of flour, sifted
• egg wash: 1 egg beaten with a bit of water
• 3 about 3 tablespoons sesame seeds to sprinkle on the cookies (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter until it's light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until well incorporated with the butter, about five minutes. Add the egg and continue beating. Stir in the vanilla and orange rind, slowly add the orange juice and the cognac, and incorporate them into the batter.
Sift one cup of the flour together with the baking powder. Gradually add it to the butter and sugar mixture. Begin gradually adding the rest of the sifted flour. As it accumulates into the mixture you can gently knead the cookie dough by hand. The cookie dough will be ready when it is soft and pliable and no longer sticks to the sides of the mixing bowl. Place it into the refrigerator for one hour. While it is cold you can shape it into small balls.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until the cookies are golden in color, about 15 minutes.