MOUSTOKOULOURA-GREEK GRAPE MUST COOKIES

When visiting Mesogaia Must Cookies… are a must!

They can be crispy or soft but either way, they are delicious and a great healthy snack because they don’t contain any butter or dairy and are ideal for your morning coffee. It is a traditional Greek cookie that is made using grape must which is the juice of the grapes that will be fermented later to create the wine. They can be made either with fresh must when the grape harvest ends (around September) or the whole year round using use grape molasses which in Greek is called “Petimezi”. Petimezi is the grape must that has been condensed into a sweet syrup. Most wineries in East Attica produce and sell their own petimezi but you can also find it in the supermarkets.

Ingredients

• 150g granulated sugar
• 150ml petimezi
• 200ml olive oil
• 150g water
• 1 tsp of orange zest
• 1 flat tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground clove
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 700–730g soft flour

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180o C
• Add in a large bowl the Petimezi and the water and whisk.
• Add the olive oil and the sugar and mix thoroughly until the sugar dissolves. Add the orange zest, the cinnamon, the ground clove, and mix well.
• In another bowl, mix the flour and baking soda with a spoon. Then add the flour mixture into the liquid mixture and mix until the mixture is thick and can be handled with your hands.
• Form 20-225 cookies and place them into a baking pan, lined with parchment paper.
• Bake them for approx. 15-20 min. Let them cool on a rack and serve!

They pair well with Greek coffee!