Loukoumades: Greek Epiphany Sweets
A Recipe for Loukoumades
Loukoumades are a traditional Greek sweet, similar to a donut. This is a very ancient Greek pastry, some authors suggest the treat may be the original European pastry. Loukoumades consist of a puffy, sweet dough that is deep fried, then coated with a sweet syrup and sometimes rolled in cinnamon or sesame seeds.
Greek housewives traditionally made Loukoumades on Epiphany, January 6 to ward off evil spirits. To prevent the evil spirits from bothering the family, the women would toss the Loukoumades onto the roof of the house to appease them and make them go back into the ground where they came from.
Today Loukoumades are made as a treat for the children and can be enjoyed year around; but, if you want to be traditional make them on Epiphany and throw a few onto the roof for good measure!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 package dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Mix the yeast with the water, sugar, salt and oil, then add the flour. This should resemble pancake batter. Turn this out into a greased mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
- While batter is rising, prepare the syrup mixture: Mix together 3 cups of sugar, 1 1/2 cups water and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Boil this mixture for 15 minutes, then allow to cool while dough is cooking.
- To cook: drop the mixture from a teaspoon into hot oil and fry until golden brown. Remove from hot grease, and immediately dip into the prepared syrup.
- Serve piping hot and sticky! What a yummy treat!
Loukoumades Poll I
Have you ever eaten loukoumedes?
How to Make Loukoumades
Maria Benardis cooks up a batch of delicious loukoumades, not for Epiphany, but for Greek Easter, on an Australian talk show. While there are a few slight variations from this recipe, they are very similar. Note that different regions of Greece have variations using available ingredients. Try using what you have on hand!
Greek Cookbook - Loukoumades and More Traditional Greek Recipes
Here is the Greek cookbook by Maria Benardis spotlighted on the above video cliip. Benardis runs the Greekalicious cooking school in Sydney, Australia.
You will find recipes for new and traditional Greek dishes, as well as stories from Benardis about growing up in Greece with her extended family.
Loukoumades Poll II
Do you enjoy Greek cooking?
Ingredients for Loukoumades
You can probably find all of the necessary ingredients to make Loukoumades at your local supermarket, if you do not already have them in your kitchen cabinets. If you need to replenish anything, you might find that Amazon offers a better price than your local grocer. Save time and money by having the ingredients to make this loukoumades recipe delivered straight to your door!
Free shipping makes this Greek olive oil a great value!
Have you ever made or eaten loukoumades? Would you like to try them? - Do you think you will try this loukoumades recipe?
I love doughnuts (which by the way I have not had for a couple years) so your Loukoumades have my tummy doing cute little somersaults in anticipation of a treat. Ha...I might have to try out your recipe.
Looks delicious. I would definitely like to try this stuff.
I'd love to try some of these!
Love this recipe, LOVE Lokoumades and am going to try making this at home. Please share some more Greek recipes and also tell us about your favourite Greek cookery books.
They remind me of the malasadas we eat over here in Hawaii. YUM! :)
yummie
Thanks for sharing the delicious sounding recipe
Lovely Lens and thanks for sharing the delicious sounding recipe - you've made me want to try it out so will add this to my Bake List. You deserve LOTD - congratulations.
Over the Christmas period we had dinner at an Indian restaurant and I had a taste of my son's dessert - Gulab Jamun. I'm wondering if Loukoumades is similar to Gulab Jamun?
These look super delicious. Yes, i would like to try them.
Nice Greek Epiphany Sweets thanks for sharing recipe
Great recipe lens and congrats on LOTD. *-*Blessed*-* and featured on Squidoo LOTD Lenses 2 and Blessed by Skiesgreen 2012. Well done, HUgs,
I just love EVERYTHING Greek!
Nice lens!
Loukoumadiki lens! :)
I enjoyed it as well as recalling the taste of those delicious Greek sweets!
enjoyed seeing your lens this morning! I'm hungry for these now.
Love them. Reminds me of my Yaya
Congrats on LOTD on this lens. I've never had loukoumades but I'd like to try them--they sound great.
Love it! <3
I would like to try this recipe, they look yummy!
Oh, these loukoumades sound delcicious!
Congrats on making the front page of Squidoo. Those loom yummy!
Have a restaurant that I love to go to with my daughter. We love it, and they serve this if not something similar. Thanks for the lens!
I would like to try this recipe.
looks delicious
man these look good
looks great, love the lens
Sounds like something I would like to try - both to make and eat
Feels yummy!
Yeasty, sticky sweet, deep fried = 3 of my favourite food groups. Will be trying these
I think I will definitely try this recipe! Loukoumades look very, very good.
looks yummy..
Looks good. Don't recall ever having them. Blessed!
Sounds like something I'd like to try. Great lens.
Sounds and looks a lot like the Indian 'Ladoo'! :)
I want to try these. Yum!
Loukoumades are very easy to cook. You can find them almost anywhere in Greece. You just need to make sure they are cooked the moment you order. Fresh ones are delicious.
Thanks for sharing!
Definitely like to try them, thanks for the lens!
Yes.. and guess what! They are actually Arabic originally, I believe! We eat them here in Kuwait all the time.. although the recipe is slightly different :) Blessed!
This looks delicious! Especially as my birthday party.
Nice food look like nice to see this This looks delicious! Especially as my birthday
If they are similar to a do-nut then I know that I will love them
I've never made or tried them but I want to now. Thanks for the recipe. I think my kids will also love them.
i love glendi, the greek festival, because of loukoumades. :) congrats on lotd
These look and sound great. Going to have to try them. Thanks
Thanks for sharing and be blessed today!
Never tried them but they look delicious so I've added them to my list of deserts to try. Thanks for sharing. Blessed and bear hugs, Frankster
Congratulations on Lens of the Day! This looks delicious! Especially as my birthday is on Epiphany. I will have to try these! Delicious!
Sounds interestng, & looks somewhat like fried dough so I'm total game, printing out the recipe (& going to add to my favorite lenses lens
I live in Spain which is also big on the epiphany and this is a great lens, wish I had thought of it first
These look awesome, I want some!!
My parents are Greek and I live in Greece many years now. Loukoumades are very popular here. We eat them in all seasons. Iâm glad because this lens was the lens of the day!
These look way too tasty. We might just have to try them tonight
I had these in the local Greek Restaurant when we lived in Germany, it was always a free extra dish at the end, mmmmm this brings back some great memories!
I am Greek so this lens feels like home :)
They are lovely, I make them at home and didn't know the Greeks love them too.
i will try this recipe . thanks
They sure look yummy and I do love Greek food! Congratulations on a much deserved Lens of the Day!
They look like donut holes! Either way they look yummy!
They look stickyliscious! Congrats on LOTD. With thanks and appreciation.
Cathi x
I have never tried them but they look good. Congrats on LOTD.
I'd sure try this, I'd even keep my eyes open when I take a bite!
Thanks for giving me something to try this morning with my 3 year old (who is crazy about baking/cooking). Congrats on being Lens of the Day!
I cannot even adequately convey how much I want to try these! They look gorgeous. Congrats on LoTD
Loukoumades = little golden balls of heaven.
It's like string pill, is similar to the Chinese snacks.
thanks for your lens ! Do you know, we the Bangladeshi peoples like sweets very much and we are used to take different types of sweet everyday. If you find some time to visit our country or take the test of different sweets of ours, we will astonished with the test of sweet.
Can't wait to try these!!
They sound fantastic. I want some.
Love greek food, thanks for sharing this.
Congratulations on a deliciouly done lens. These look very tempting that I will have to try them.
mmm...delicious. Great lens!
No but Ohhh my goodness do they look YUMMY!! Thumbs up on this delicious lens and angel blessed.
When I go to a Greek festival I check out the food booths to see if they have loukoumades and baklava. Yummy! Congratulations on a delicious LOTD,
Congratulations on LOTD! I love Greek food but never had a loukoumade, hope to try one some time soon...
Congratulations on LotD, loukoumades look yummy!
Thanks for sharing your recipe for Loukoumades, they look delicious!
I soooo want one of those! It's like a donut or a hushpuppy, but not. I just love bread! mmm honey :)
I make baklava every year at Christmas time and love it. I will definitely try this recipe it sounds delicious. A very tastey lens. Thanks.
Thanks for the great educational lens and I learned from your lens. Keep writing so we can enjoy learning.
These look incredibly delicious!!! Thanks for sharing and congrats on your LotD!
Congrats on LOTD. These sound yummy. Thank you for sharing.
I never had one but they sound good.
Never have tried them, but they sound yummy--a must try! Congratulations on your LOTD
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I wish Squidoo had tast-o-vision or something. I would love to try these. Congrats on LOTD ! whooo hoo!
I've never had loukoumades, but would love to try them. Congrats on LOTD!
Congratulations on a well deserved LOTD!
These kind of look like the hush puppies at Long John Silver's, but I'm guessing they are much much lighter :) They sound so tasty, I've gotta try them soon. I had never heard of these. Thanks for sharing!
Im from cyprus a greek island.I have eaten tons in my life :)
My husband is Greek. My sis-in-law made a lot of Greek sweet including loukoumades. We also enjoy going to Greek fest. Thanks for sharing.
Congratulations on LOTD. Well-deserved, and these sound marvelous! Blessed.
These look really tasty! I've tried a decent amount of Greek food, but not loukoumades yet. Will have to try some. Congrats on LOTD!
Sounds yummy. Congrats on LOTD!!
Thanks, I will start cooking Greek Food.
Thanks for sharing a traditional holiday treat! :)
I would LOVE to try them!
Recipe and page are both yummy... too hard of one for me though, just send me to the bakery.
Looks yummylicious! Congrats on Lotd :)
I've never heard of loukoumades. But I will be trying the recipe:)
We have a lady at our church who makes the BEST loukoumades! Thanks for sharing!
These sound absolutely outstanding and delicious - thanks for sharing the recipe! Blessed by a SquidAngel!
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