RECIPE - KOURABIEDES (GREEK COOKIES) - BY: CHEF MICHAEL FINIZIA / by Eric Monteiro

KOURABIEDES

Kourabiedes are those airy, flakey, melt-in-your-mouth celebration cookies, a Greek delicacy usually served at weddings, Christmas, Easter and other holidays. 

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups or 500 grams of butter, room temperature
  • 3 cups or 400 grams unsalted almonds
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
  • 4 cups or 480 grams of flour
  • 1/2 cup of cognac or brandy
  • 3 cups or 375 grams confectioner/powdered sugar

Directions

  • Roast the almonds if necessary (see notes)
  • Preheat the oven to 300 F (150 C,) or reduce from 350 to 300 if you roasted the almonds
  • Pulverize/crush the almonds into pieces. I don't like big pieces of almond in my cookies so I pulverize the almonds into very tiny pieces in a food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you can place the almonds in a plastic bag and hit them with a mallet, rolling pin or back of a spoon. You may also buy almonds that are already crushed.
  • Beat together the butter, egg yolks and sugar
  • Add the cognac (or brandy,) vanilla and almonds
  • Add the flour one cup at a time and mix everything together
  • If the dough is too sticky, add a little flour. If it is too stiff, add a little water.
  • Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 1 to 2 minutes
  • Roll it into balls, crescents or other shapes and place on a cookie sheet
  • Bake the cookies for 25 to 30 minutes, check to make sure they don't burn
  • Place baked cookies on a plate
  • Take the confectioner/powdered sugar one cup at a time and place in a sifter. Dust the cookies with the sugar until they are completely covered. You can't have enough sugar on these cookies, so dust generously!
  • Place the rest of the confectioner/powdered sugar in a bowl and roll each cookie around until the entire surface is completely covered.
  • ENJOY!

Notes

If you can't find roasted almonds, you can roast them yourself on a baking sheet in the oven for 6 minutes at 350 F (180 C.) Be sure not to roast them too long because they may burn and acquire a bitter taste.

When baking the cookies, use the steam setting in your oven, if your oven has this setting. If your oven doesn't have a steam setting, place a dish of water on the bottom rack of the oven. This ensures the cookies don't get dry and cracked.