SALTY KOULOURAKIA / BÂTON SALÉ / AΛΜΥΡΆ ΚΟΥΛΟΥΡΆΚΙΑ

Bâton Salé... Presenting the wonderful, addictive, savory cookie!!!

These little treats are just like potato chips, in that you can't eat just one.  You have to go back and get another and another. It's just a guilty pleasure. They are salty, cheesy, buttery, they melt in your mouth, they are irresistible.  If you are familiar with koulourakia, you know that they are a sweet buttery Greek cookie.  Here is a different version: these koulourakia are not sweet... they are savory, or as Greeks call them, they are "salty koulourakia."  They are also referred to as "bâton salé," which in French means "salty sticks."  I don't know why they have two names but they can be found in patisserie shops all over Greece, and they are a very popular snack. 

MAKE THEM, YOU WILL LOVE THEM!!!  GUARANTEED!!!

This recipe was given to me by my aunt Sophia, who told me that she got it from the owner of a patisserie shop. It's supposed to be a top secret recipe.  I don't know what methods my aunt employed to get it, and I don't want to find out, either. Suffice it to say that it's a great recipe.  Salty koulourakia go well with drinks, especially with beer. They're also a great accompaniment when having tea.

  

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 cup canola oil

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup ground Pecorino Romano

2 tablespoons feta cheese, finely crumbled

about 4 cups of flour

1 egg beaten with a tablespoon of milk, to be used for egg wash

Fresh out of the oven!

Directions:

Melt the butter, let it cool and then whisk it with the oil until well blended.  Add the eggs and continue whisking. 

Add the milk, the salt, pepper, and the cheeses, and continue beating.

Sift the flour with the baking powder.  Add it gradually to the butter mixture, beating between each addition.  

Turn the dough onto a board and knead, adding more flour if necessary, not not so much that the dough gets tough.  

Cut the dough into pieces of about 1 inch in diameter.  

Shape into rods or circles.  

Place on parchment lined baking sheets, and brush with egg wash.  

The tops of the koulourakia can be decorated with almonds or Pecorino Romano cheese.

Bake in a preheated 350º F until golden in color, about 20 to 30 minutes. 

Here they are, all piled up and waiting to be placed in  storage containers.  If stored at room temperature in an air-tight container, salty koulourakia stay fresh for about  two weeks.

They are high in carbohydrates, but they contain no sugar. Does that make them a good diabetic treat?  My mother, who is 86 and diabetic, seems to think so. Don't try arguing with her. Actually, diabetics should eat protein first and should abstain from eating a lot of carbohydrates. On occasions when mom's blood sugar is low and she needs to have a snack, I give her a glass of warm low-fat and lactose-free milk, a banana, and a couple of graham crackers. That's a very nice snack for a diabetic.  If we have these koulourakia in the house, I will give her a couple of them instead of the graham crackers. Sometimes I give her yogurt... but I am beginning to digress here.  I recommend that you have some "bâton salé" with a nice cup of tea.  Do that.  And yes, they'll taste even better if you dunk them in your tea.  I promise!