Kourabiedes (Greek Almond Cookies)
User Reviews
5
Kourabiedes (Greek Almond Cookies)
Description
Kourabiedes cookies begin with creaming softened butter with powdered sugar until light and fluffy, then incorporating egg yolks, brandy, rose water, vanilla, and optionally almond extract. The dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, salt—are folded in gradually along with toasted sliced or slivered almonds. The dough is shaped into roughly one-inch balls with a thumb indentation and baked until golden in a moderate oven.
Once out of the oven, the hot cookies are placed on powdered sugar and dusted with more, resulting in a delicate sugary coating integral to the characteristic texture and flavor. These cookies offer a mildly crumbly but tender bite with nutty almond accents and subtle aromatics from rose water and brandy.
The recipe includes gentle mixing and kneading to form the dough, careful to avoid overworking. The powdered sugar coating should be applied while the cookies are warm for best adhesion. These cookies are suited to holiday celebrations or tea-time enjoyment and pair well with coffee or herbal teas.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces butter softened at room temperature, 2 sticks, quality unsalted
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar aka confectioner's sugar
- 2 egg room temperature, large yolks
- 1-2 tablespoons brandy (e.g., Greek Metaxa or brandy of your choice)
- 1 tablespoon rose water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pure
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract optional if you want to bump up the almond flavor, pure
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups almond toasted in the oven at 350 F until golden (be careful not to over-toast or the almonds will be bitter, sliced or slivered
- powdered sugar for dusting/dredging
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and powdered sugar for a full 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat for another 5 minutes. Beat in the brandy and extracts, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add one cup of the flour mixture at a time into the wet mixture, beating after each addition until incorporated. Stir in the almonds. If the dough is too crumbly to form into balls knead in a little extra egg yolk.
- Form the batter into roughly 1-inch balls, slightly flatten them in the palms of your hands, make a small indentation in the center with your thumb, and place them on a lined baking sheet two inches apart. Bake the cookies on the middle shelf until golden, 15-18 minutes. While the cookies are still hot, dust a serving platter with powdered sugar and place a single layer of cookies on top of the sugar. Lightly spray the cookies with some water infused with a little rose water and generously sprinkle powdered sugar over the cookies. Place another layer of cookies on top and repeat the process. Continue repeating this process forming a pyramid shaped display of cookies. (Note, this display form is traditional but totally optional. The key is simply to generously coat the cookies with powdered sugar while they're still hot, lightly spraying with the water to enable the sugar to adhere.) Once the cookies are fully cooled, store them in an airtight container where they will keep for a few weeks.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 24cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 168 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1cookie | |
| Calories | 168kcal | 8% |
| Carbohydrates | 15g | 5% |
| Protein | 3g | 6% |
| Fat | 11g | 17% |
| Saturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 37mg | 12% |
| Sodium | 51mg | 2% |
| Potassium | 69mg | 1% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 3g | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 258IU | 5% |
| Calcium | 25mg | 3% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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