Greek almond snow cookies

Roasted almonds and real butter make these cookies irresistible!

These cookies are also called kourabiedes in Greece. The original recipe requires freshly roasted almonds, whole or crashed, and real butter, made from sheep and goat’s milk cream. This type of butter has a stronger smell and flavor than the one from cow’s milk. When I first smelled this butter I found it very overwhelming, and I can’t say that I enjoyed its smell very much… But something magical happens when it gets beaten with some sugar, then incorporated into the cookie dough and finally gets baked in a hot oven! However, you can use any kind of butter you like, as long as it’s good quality and comes from milk cream. For this recipe I used half cow’s butter and half sheep & goat butter.

During Christmas every home in Greece has a plate full of these almond snow cookies, and every visitor gets treated some of these sugary confection! They are the perfect way for your kitchen to smell like holidays, and for your family to love you a little more!
Though, Christmas is not the only time these are baked. They’re also made as treats in engagement ceremonies, weddings and Christenings, because of their white color which represents purity. I, on the other hand, make them every time I feel the need to eat some!

They’re buttery, full of roasted almonds flavor, tender and crispy! They’re intoxicating!! You only have to be aware of one thing that happens to me… Being really eager and impatient to stuff my mouth with them Wanting to enjoy them at the fullest without distractions , I always take a deep breath while having the cookie in front of my mouth. As a result, some particles of confectioners’ sugar get carried away from the air stream caused by my inhaling and end up at the depths of my lungs, causing me severe coughing and discomfort! Almost every time! Luckily I recover quickly 🙂

This recipe doesn’t have a lot of ingredients. The stars here are the almonds and the butter. Baking powder is limited to only a teaspoon, which means that you should beat the heck out of the butter and sugar in order to obtain a really, really fluffy mixture. If you have the luxury to let your mixer beat it for 10 – 15 minutes, do it! That’s the secret for a really good cookie. Another secret is to clarify the butter. I must admit that I don’t normally do this, except from special occasions!
If you read the ingredients on the packaging of the butter, you’ll notice that it contains about 15% – 20% water. What that means is that in one cup of butter there are about 3 tablespoons of water and a little more than 3/4 of a cup fat. This water will prevent the cookies from reaching their maximum tenderness level. In this article from serious eats you can see how to remove water and get some nutty browned butter (or beurre noisette) at the same time. Totally optional!

Notes:
Bake low and slow, for the cookies to dry well and become very fluffy and crispy. This way they’ll also keep for a lot of days!
When cookies are cooled, roll them in a bowl with confectioners’ sugar making sure that they’re completely covered by a thin layer of sugar. Store them in an airtight container and before serving, dust them with plenty more sugar to get the snowy effect.
The original recipe calls for blanched, freshly roasted almonds. You can use almonds with or without their skin. Blanched (skinned) almonds will produce cookies lighter in color, but will not affect the taste.
If you love Christmas sweets, check this awesome Xmas scented cake with fluffy vanilla buttercream and these adorable Xmas white chocolate truffle snowmen !

Update : After discussing with some friends, I’ve increased baking powder to 2 teaspoons and brandy to 2 tablespoons to make the cookies more tender and aromatic.

Greek almond snow cookies

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Roasted almonds and real butter make these cookies irresistible! Coat with lots of confectioners’ sugar for a snowy effect!

Author: The Hungry Bites

Recipe type: Sweet / Dessert

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Serves: about 40 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250 grams) real butter, room temperature (it’s best to be clarified) or ghee
• 1 cup (130 grams) confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5 grams) vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• a pinch of salt
• 1 egg yolk (20 grams) from a large egg
• 2 tablespoons (30 grams) brandy or cognac
• 2 ¾ cups (375 grams) sifted pastry flour, plus ½ cup more (you may or may not need it)
• 2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
• ¾ cup (70 grams) freshly roasted almonds, crushed
• 
  
• Confectioners’ sugar for coating and dusting

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 340°F (170°C)
2. In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat butter with sugar until really fluffy (10 – 15 minutes for best results)
3. Add the yolk and beat until well incorporated.
4. Add the vanilla, salt and brandy/cognac and mix until combined.
5. In another bowl, mix together the3 cups of flour, baking powder and almonds.
6. Add them to the butter mixture and stir gently with a spatula until just combined and all of the flour is absorbed. Do not over mix. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. It should be soft and not sticky. If after resting time it's a little sticky, add a little more flour until pliable.
7. Form little balls the size of a ping pong ball and flatten them out a little between your hands.
8. Place on lined baking sheets and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant.
9. Remove from pan and place on a rack to cool.
10. Roll them in a bowl with confectioners’ sugar and store in an airtight container.
11. Just before serving dust with more confectioners’ sugar.
12. Eat.

Notes

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 10 – 12 days.

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