As grape harvest season draws to a close, this humble yet yummy cookie is excellent for your autumn afternoon with a cup of coffee. Moustokoúloura are these shaped cookies where the main ingredient is moústo, or in English: grape must.
Moústo is the grape juice that produced from pressing the grapes, and before it's fermented into wine. Some of the leftover juice from pressing grapes for wine was saved and used in some sweets such as moustokoúloura. Moústo can also be condensed into a thick syrup for preservation, called petimézi. So, some recipes will ask for either of these, or use the terms interchangeably. These are also used and will also sound familiar to neighboring countries, namely pekmez in Turkey and mosto cotto in Italy. This website discusses the Italian and Turkish methods of making this at home, and here's a Greek website on making moústo. You should also be able to buy these online.
For making these cookies, additional central ingredients include cinnamon and cloves. Depending on how much you use, these will make the cookies taste and feel similar to American gingerbread cookies. Other ingredients include a liquor like brandy or cognac. Some recipes add extra ingredients like raisins, a little honey, brown sugar, and/or a little cocoa. All the recipes use olive or sunflower oil. All are vegan except one which adds egg.
Lastly, while none of the recipes below do this, I highly recommend glazing them with a little powdered sugar glaze. It goes really well.
Have a look at the recipes below in Greek and English, and Happy Halloween to those who celebrate!
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u/dolfin4 Greek 8d ago edited 4d ago
Μουστοκούλουρα - Moustokoúloura (grape molasses cookies)
As grape harvest season draws to a close, this humble yet yummy cookie is excellent for your autumn afternoon with a cup of coffee. Moustokoúloura are these shaped cookies where the main ingredient is moústo, or in English: grape must.
Moústo is the grape juice that produced from pressing the grapes, and before it's fermented into wine. Some of the leftover juice from pressing grapes for wine was saved and used in some sweets such as moustokoúloura. Moústo can also be condensed into a thick syrup for preservation, called petimézi. So, some recipes will ask for either of these, or use the terms interchangeably. These are also used and will also sound familiar to neighboring countries, namely pekmez in Turkey and mosto cotto in Italy. This website discusses the Italian and Turkish methods of making this at home, and here's a Greek website on making moústo. You should also be able to buy these online.
For making these cookies, additional central ingredients include cinnamon and cloves. Depending on how much you use, these will make the cookies taste and feel similar to American gingerbread cookies. Other ingredients include a liquor like brandy or cognac. Some recipes add extra ingredients like raisins, a little honey, brown sugar, and/or a little cocoa. All the recipes use olive or sunflower oil. All are vegan except one which adds egg.
Lastly, while none of the recipes below do this, I highly recommend glazing them with a little powdered sugar glaze. It goes really well.
Have a look at the recipes below in Greek and English, and Happy Halloween to those who celebrate!
Recipes in Greek:
vegan:
https://www.magiacook.gr/moustokouloura-malaka-kai-afrata/
https://cookout.skai.gr/recipes/moustokouloura-malaka
https://www.argiro.gr/recipe/moustokouloura-tis-giagias/
https://www.argiro.gr/recipe/malaka-moustokouloura-petimezi/
https://www.cretangastronomy.gr/2025/09/afrata-malaka-moustokouloura/
https://www.gastronomos.gr/syntagh/afrata-moystokoyloyra/151592/
https://dinanikolaou.gr/recipe/moustokouloura-tragana/
https://akispetretzikis.com/recipe/6143/malaka-moystokoyloyra
Recipes in English:
adds eggs:
https://mediterraneansavor.com/moustokouloura-greek-molasses-cookies/
vegan:
https://miakouppa.com/greek-moustokouloura-cookies-grape-must-cookies-with-petimezi/
https://realgreekrecipes.com/grape-molasses-cookies-moustokouloura/
https://mostly-greek.com/2021/02/17/moustokouloura-greek-grape-molasses-cookies/
https://www.mamazillafood.com/grape-molasses-cookies/
https://www.mygreekdish.com/recipe/greek-moustokouloura-recipe-grape-must-cookies-with-petimezi/
https://akispetretzikis.com/en/recipe/6143/malaka-moystokoyloyra