Kourabiedes Recipe (Greek Christmas Butter Cookies)

5 from 7 votes

Kourabiedes Recipe (Greek Christmas Butter Cookies)

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!

Prep Time40

Cook Time30

Total Time1 10

Course: Dessert, Sweet

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: cookies

Calories: 163kcal

Author: Makos

Ingredients

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

US Customary - Metric

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).

Video

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