Smyrna Easter Cookies

A deeply nostalgic recipe, filled with aromas of orange, butter, and mastiha. A true taste of home, passed down through generations.

By Alexandras Home

@home.alexandras

April 03, 2026

By Alexandras Home

Ingredients

2.5

lb (1.5 kg) all-purpose flour
1

lb (500g) butter
2

cups (420g) sugar
3

eggs
1

cup (240ml) fresh orange juice
1/2

cup (120ml) milk
1/4

cup (60ml) Gratsi White Wine
2

tsp (10g) baking powder
1

tsp baking soda
2

tsp vanilla extract (or 2 vanilla packets)
1

tsp ground mastiha (Chios mastic)
For brushing:
2

egg yolks
1

tsp powdered sugar
2

tbsp water

Instructions

TOTAL TIME

50 minutes

40 servings

During Holy Week in Greece, baking is more than just preparation, it’s a ritual filled with meaning and anticipation. Traditionally, these fragrant cookies are made on Holy Thursday, the same day we dye the red eggs, symbolizing renewal and life. The house slowly fills with aromas of butter, orange, and spices, marking the quiet and sacred build-up to Easter.

In my home, as children, we always fasted throughout Holy Week, and I still remember helping make these cookies my great-grandmother Margi’s recipe, completely surrounded by their incredible aroma, yet not being allowed to taste even one. We had to wait patiently until Resurrection Saturday night, after the “Christos Anesti”.

That patience, that smell filling every corner of the house… what treasured memories. And even today, I continue this tradition exactly the same way.

A deeply nostalgic recipe, filled with aromas of orange, butter, and mastiha. These Smyrna-style cookies are soft, fragrant, and full of history. A true taste of home, passed down through generations.

A wooden board with a jar of flour, two ceramic measuring spoons with flour and baking powder, a wooden spoon, a small stone mortar and pestle, a glass of oil, and three eggs in the background.

A white bowl with a blue rim filled with oval-shaped, golden-brown baked cookies, all arranged closely together. The cookies have a slightly shiny surface and a central indentation.

STEP 1

Cream the butter & sugar
Beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix well.

Two white bowls on a wooden tray: one filled with granulated white sugar, the other with chunks of pale yellow butter. A small part of a glass bottle is visible in the top corner.

A metal mixing bowl containing creamed butter and sugar with a raw egg cracked in the center, ready to be mixed.

A stainless steel mixing bowl filled with creamy, whipped butter and sugar, ready to be mixed into a baking recipe.

STEP 2

Add liquids
Pour in the milk, orange juice, and wine. Mix until smooth. Mix the flour with baking powder, baking soda, mastiha, and vanilla.

A wooden tray holds a cup of milk tea, a glass of clear liquid, and a bowl of bright orange liquid, possibly melted butter, on a wooden surface.

A metal mixing bowl containing creamy yellow batter with a mound of flour on top, ready to be mixed in.

A close-up of creamy, whipped butter and sugar mixture in a metal mixing bowl, showing a smooth and fluffy texture.

STEP 3

Form the dough
Gradually incorporate the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. You should end up with a soft, pliable dough that doesn’t stick to your hands.

A beige bowl filled with flour and baking powder sits on a wooden board, with a wooden spoon resting on top. In the background, a glass of liquid and two eggs are partially visible.

A woman stands in a kitchen holding a bowl of flour and a spoon next to a stand mixer containing batter. She looks at the camera, wearing a black tank top over a white shirt. Shelves with jars and decor appear in the background.

A ball of yellow dough sits in the bottom of a stainless steel mixing bowl, with bits of flour dusted along the sides.

STEP 4

Shape
Cut small pieces of dough, about 1 oz (30g) each, and roll them into thin ropes approximately 10 inches (25 cm) long. Gently twist each rope 3 times (a traditional).
Then bring the ends close together so they just touch. Lightly pinch the edges to create slightly pointed tips.
The final shape should resemble small, delicate “little boats.”
Alternatively, you can shape the dough into classic ring cookies or braids, twists, depending on your preference.