Kourabiedes Recipe (Greek Christmas Butter Cookies)

Kourabiedes (or kourabiethes) are basically Greek almond shortbread cookies usually made during Christmas. Just like these Italian almond cookies (soft amaretti) they're covered with icing sugar something that makes them look like small snowballs. Isn't this the perfect winter recipe?

They're also known as Greek wedding cookies because their white color, which symbolizes purity, makes them perfect for situations like weddings and engagements.

If you're searching for more cookie recipes, don't miss these melomakarona - Greek Christmas honey cookies (another popular Greek cookie), these Greek Easter cookies (Koulourakia) which are perfect with a cup of coffee and these Greek koulourakia (sesame and olive oil cookies).

📋 Ingredients

To make this traditional Greek Christmas cookies recipe (Kourabiedes), you'll need the following simple ingredients:

Butter: Traditionally, unsalted butter from sheep and goat milk is used but you can also make them with butter from cow's milk. For the best results use clarified butter or ghee. In Greece, this kind of butter is usually sold in glass jars. Culinaryhill.com has a useful article for how to make clarified butter if you're interested.

Icing sugar: Icing or powdered sugar is used instead of caster sugar, because it makes the dough more soft and velvety.

Egg yolk: It should be from a large or extra large egg. If you double the recipe you can use a whole egg instead of 2 yolks.

Almonds: Freshly roasted almonds give Kourabiethes their signature flavor and fragrance. However, some people make them without the almonds. My suggestion? Skip the almonds only if you hate them.

Flour: For the best results use pastry flour (in Greece this is called "soft" flour and it has a lower protein content). You can make your own pastry flour if you mix 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour with 1 tablespoon cornstarch.

Cognac: brandy, rum or whiskey will also do. Some Greek recipes use ouzo, but I personally don't like it in Kourabiedes. The alcohol will evaporate during baking, but if you don't want to use it, you can replace it with milk or water.

🥣 Variations

Here are some variations for these delicious Greek almond cookies:

Scented water: Some recipes spray the Kourabiedes with rose water or orange blossom water (called "anthonero" in Greek). I personally don't like this variation. If you want to try it, you should lightly spray the cookies immediately after you take them out of the oven, when they're still hot.

Vegan: This variation is most often made during the Orthodox Christmas Fast. It has no egg and olive oil is used instead of butter. These vegan kourabiedes by whenhelencooks.com are a nice example.

Gluten-free: My best friend is gluten intolerant so I have made these cookies with gluten-free flour a few times. They don't browm as much and they're very crumbly, but if you can't eat wheat flour they're the next best thing. Use a 1 to 1 plain GF flour (such as Bob's Red Mill) and for more structure you can also add  ½ teaspoon xanthan gum.

Shape variation: Most Kourabiethes are round but you can also cut out stars and other shapes with a cookie cutter. Other people make them crescent shaped. I don't know more about this kind of shape, other than it is similar to many crescent cookies that are popular throughout Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and other countries. These vanillekipferl (Austrian vanilla crescent cookies) by daringgourmet.com is a nice example.

🔪 Instructions

Follow this easy step-by-step guide to make the perfect Kourabiedes every time:

Step 1: Bake the almonds in the oven and let them cool (you can do this 2-3 days in advance). Using a heavy object like a mortar or a rolling pin, smash them in large pieces. You can also chop them with a sharp knife.

Step 2: Transfer the butter, the oil and the salt to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. When the butter is soft, add the powdered sugar and beat very well until light and fluffy and almost white in color.

Step 3: Add the egg yolk and beat until incorporated. Then add the vanilla, the cinnamon and the cognac/brandy and mix again until homogenized.

Step 4: Transfer the flour and the baking powder to a small bowl and mix. Add the almonds and the flour mixture to the butter mixture and fold with a spatula until you get a soft cookie dough. Don't overmix.

Step 5: Take walnut sized pieces of the cookie dough and form balls between your hands. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and gently press them in the middle with your thumb.

Step 6: Bake the cookies and let them cool completely on a rack. Then roll them in icing sugar and dust them with extra icing sugar (using a fine sieve) for that fluffy snowy effect.

💭 FAQs

🍳 More Greek desserts to try:

🎥Recipe Video

📖 Recipe

Kourabiedes Recipe (Greek Christmas Butter Cookies)

Makos

Every home baker needs a good Kourabiedes recipe! Being in the top 10 best Greek desserts, these delicious Greek butter cookies are perfect for Christmas or any other celebration. Make sure to follow all the expert tips to ensure your cookie success every time!

5 from 7 votes

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Sweet

Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean

Servings 32 cookies

Calories 163 kcal

Ingredients

 

0.5x1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 ½ cups (190 g) roasted almonds ( crushed)
• ▢ 1 cup (227 g) butter, ( at room temperature or slightly cold.)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (28 g) corn oil or sunflower oil
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 cup (120 g) icing sugar
• ▢ 1 egg yolk (from a large egg)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, (optional)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (30 g) cognac or brandy
• ▢ 3 ¼ cups (390 g) pastry flour or all-purpose flour. Sift first then measure.
• ▢ 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ Icing sugar (for coating and dusting)

Instructions

 

• Bake the almonds in the oven at 320°F/160°C for 20-30 minutes or until they start to smell very nutty (no need to preheat the oven). Let them cool. Using a heavy object like a mortar or a rolling pin, smash them in large pieces. You can also chop them with a sharp knife.
• Transfer the butter, the oil and the salt to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer (or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on). When the butter is soft, add the powdered sugar and beat very well until light and fluffy and almost white in color (about 10-15 minutes).
• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Add the egg yolk and beat until incorporated. Then add the vanilla, the cinnamon and the cognac/brandy and mix again until homogenized.
• Transfer the flour and the baking powder to a small bowl and mix. Add the almonds and the flour to the butter mixture (reserve 2 tablespoons of flour) and stir with a spatula until you get a soft cookie dough. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. It should be soft and not sticky. If after the resting time it's a little sticky, add the rest of the flour and knead until pliable. Don't overmix.
• Take walnut sized pieces of the cookie dough (approximately 1.05 oz/30 grams) and form balls between your hands. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving some space between each cookie because they'll spread a little. Gently press them in the middle with your thumb.
• Bake for 17-20 minutes for soft Kourabiethes (similar to shortbread) or for 32-35 minutes for crispy cookies (I prefer them crispy because they're more aromatic and keep for a longer time).

  Let them cool completely on a rack. Then roll them in icing sugar and dust them with extra icing sugar for that fluffy snowy effect (use a fine sieve for the dusting).

Notes

• You can bake the almonds 2-3 days in advance, store them whole in an airtight container and crush them before starting making the Kourabiedes.
• Pastry flour is regular flour with less protein content. You can make your own "pastry flour" by mixing 3 cups plus 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour with 3 tablespoons cornstarch.
• Butter: For the butter you can choose goat and sheep butter, cow's milk butter, or a mix of both. It's best to be clarified or ghee. Choose according to your taste. Butter should be at room temperature or just slightly cold.
• Measure the flour: If you don't have a scale to measure your ingredients, then the flour should be sifted and lightly spooned into a measuring cup taking extra care not to compact it.
• For more intense almond flavor, add ¼ teaspoon of almond extract to the butter mixture.
• Don't add all of the flour at once - you may not need it all. Also, don't over-work the dough because your cookies will be tough.

Storing the Kourabiethes: Store these cookies in an airtight container. They'll keep well for at least 7 days, even longer. Dust them with icing sugar before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 163kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 3gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 104mgPotassium: 65mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 185IUVitamin C: 0.001mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!