Little Easter Biscuits (Koulourakia)
Cooking time: More than 1 hour
250g butter
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
2 1/2 cups (375g) plain flour
1 egg, extra
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1. Preheat the oven to moderate (180°C). Beat the butter, sugar, rind and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating until combined between each addition. Add the juice and sifted flours and beat on a low speed until the mixture forms a soft dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
2. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll level tablespoons of the dough into balls; roll balls into 25cm-long logs. Fold the logs in half and gently twist at both ends. The biscuits can be left as a long twist or joined at the ends to form a ring.
3. Place the shapes on a greased oven tray, brush lightly with the extra egg and sprinkle with the seeds.
4. Bake in a moderate oven for about 15 minutes or until browned lightly. Cool the biscuits on the trays for 10 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool.
Note: This recipe makes 40 biscuits. The biscuits can be made a week ahead.
Suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.