October is the most suitable month to make moustokoulouri with fresh must or simply with petimezi. Here we do it with a salary that is easier to find and manage. Try them and be sure they will be a hit!

Materials (for about 25 mustaches)

120 g brown raw sugar (demerara type)
120 ml light olive or sunflower oil (or half-and-half)
150 ml birthday drink
15 ml cognac
120 ml fresh orange juice
1 tbsp baking soda
2 ¼ tbsp. grated cinnamon
½ tbsp. grated cloves
¼ tsp salt
About 550 gr. soft flour

Implementation

1. Add the sugar and oil to a bowl and mix with a whisk until the sugar melts.
2. Add the petimezi and continue mixing until they are homogenized.
3. Add the cognac and mix.
4. Put the orange juice in a large mug or glass and mix the soda inside. Be careful it will blow up!
5. Empty the orange juice into the bowl with the mixture and mix well with the wire until the ingredients are well homogenized.
6. Stir in the cinnamon, cloves and salt.
7. Add the baking powder and gradually the flour while mixing and as soon as the dough starts to form, change the wire with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.
8. Slowly add, mixing with the spatula, as much flour as needed until our dough is smooth and can be easily formed into a ball without sticking to the hands. We don’t want to mix the dough too much so that the mustache buns come out fluffy.
9. Cover it with a clean towel and let it rest for 10-15 minutes at room temperature.
10. Preheat the oven to 170 C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
11. Form balls the size of a walnut and then thick string.
12. Take one end of the string and wrap it in a spiral, like a snail.
13. Place the mustache buns on the sheets at a short distance from each other because they will puff up.
14. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until they puff up nicely and brown slightly. We don’t want them to get too much color or to overcook them because they will come out drier and more crispy.
15. Let them cool a little before removing them from the pan to stabilize.
16. Store them in an airtight container to keep them fresh and soft.