Κουραμπιέδες — Print Recipe

Melt-in-your-mouth butter cookies studded with toasted almonds and buried under a thick snowdrift of powdered sugar. The quintessential Greek Christmas cookie.

Ingredients

250g unsalted butter, softened
100g powdered sugar, plus extra for coating
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp brandy or ouzo
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g blanched almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
400g all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Rosewater for sprinkling
Powdered sugar for generous coating

Instructions

1 Beat butter for 10 minutes until extremely pale and fluffy. This long beating is essential for the melt-in-mouth texture.
2 Add powdered sugar, egg yolk, brandy, and vanilla. Beat until combined and airy.
3 Fold in toasted chopped almonds. Sift flour and baking powder together, fold into the butter mixture gently.
4 Shape dough into crescent or round shapes, about 5cm each. Place on lined baking sheets.
5 Bake at 170C for 18-20 minutes until set but still pale — they should barely take on any color.
6 While still warm, sprinkle with rosewater. Let cool slightly, then bury completely in sifted powdered sugar, coating generously.

Did You Know?

In Greek tradition, a single clove is pressed into each kourabiedes before baking, symbolizing the spices brought by the Three Wise Men.