Greek Almond Shortbread Kourabie Food

KOURABIETHES: GREEK SHORTBREAD COOKIES WITH ALMONDS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer , add the butter and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Scrape the sides of the bowl and add egg yolks and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Mix well. Add the ouzo, vanilla, and the toasted chopped almonds.
• In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and baking soda together. With the mixer on low, add the flour to the butter mixture and mix until incorporated. You don't want to over mix the dough because that will toughen the cookies. Chill the dough for about half an hour to make it easier to handle and roll.
• Heat the oven to 350 F. Have ungreased baking sheets at the ready.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Take a piece of dough about the size of a walnut, roll it into a ball, and place on the cookie sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Alternatively, roll the walnut-sized piece of dough into a log and then curl the ends in and pinch slightly to make a half-moon or crescent shape.
• Stud each cookie in the center with an optional whole clove and bake for 20 minutes or until just beginning to brown.
• When the cookies are still very warm, dredge in confectioners' sugar. (Handle them with care because they are fragile.) The sugar layer will almost melt and coat the cookies. After the cookies cool a bit, add another dusting of confectioners' sugar.
• After the cookies cool a bit, add another dusting of confectioners' sugar. Store in a covered container with a light dusting for confectioners' sugar for up to one month.

GREEK SHORTBREAD COOKIES (KOURABIEDES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and ½ cup icing sugar well. Add the vanilla.
• Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the nuts and stir. Add the flour-nut mixture to the butter. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Chill the dough before shaping for 30 minutes to 1 hour so easier to work with.
• Roll into 1½-inch balls and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake until lightly golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cookies and sprinkle with icing sugar. Makes about 28 to 30 cookies.

GREEK ALMOND SHORTBREAD (KOURABIE)

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 180oc (375 oF).
• In a large bowl beat the butter, oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla until thick and glossy. It will take about 5 - 7 minutes.
• Add in the flour and almonds. Start with a large wooden spoon and progress to clean hands until all is well mixed. The mixture will be quite dry.
• Roll peices of dough the size of a large cherry and flatten, or roll into a sausage and flatten slightly - or what ever suits your fancy.
• Place onto a lined tray, repeat until all the mixture is used (you should get 50 - 60 biscuits).
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 30 minutes depending on how you roll and flatten your biscuits. They should be nicely golden all over.
• Once out of the oven, liberally sift extra icing sugar over hot biscuit and leave to cool.
• Store in an air tight container with plenty of icing sugar.
• They will keep for up to 2 weeks in a dry and dark area.

KOURABIEDES (GREECE): WALNUT SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Toast the walnuts until golden brown and fragrant, about 6 minutes. Let cool, then chop about half of the nuts (you should have about 1/2 cup chopped). Pulse the remaining nuts in the food processor until finely ground (about 1/4 cup ground).
• Stir the flour, baking powder, salt and nuts together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In another medium bowl, beat the butter, sugar, egg yolk, brandy and vanilla extract together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the mixture gets light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
• At low speed, stir in the nut mixture to make a crumbly dough. Cover the bowl and set dough aside at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or coat with nonstick spray.
• With a tablespoon, scoop out 1-inch pieces of dough and roll into balls between the palms of your hands. Pinch the ends of the balls to make a football shape. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies set and start to brown, about 18 minutes.
• Remove cookies from the oven and immediately sprinkle them lightly with the orange water. (If you don't have a brush, simply dip your fingers into the water and flick it over the cookies a few times.) Take care not to douse them, just enough for them to carry the scent of flowers.
• Put the confectioners' sugar in a bag, and add 5 to 6 of the warm cookies to it. Very gently toss the cookies to coat with sugar. Remove them from the bag and cool cookies on a rack. Repeat with remaining cookies. Serve.
• Busy baker's tips: Dough can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Baked cookies can be wrapped in plastic, then aluminum foil, for up to 2 weeks. To serve, let cookies come to room temperature before dusting with confectioners' sugar.
• Cook's Note: If you can't find orange flower water, try specialty stores or online.
• Copyright (c) 2007 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

ALMOND CRESCENTS (KOURABIEDES)

Steps:

• Spread ground almonds in a shallow pan and toast in a 350F degrees oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned.
• In a bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add the 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar and egg yolk, mixing well. Stir in brandy or vanilla and almonds.
• In another bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, blending until smooth.
• Pinch off walnut-size pieces of dough and shape into crescents. Place on ungreased baking sheets, spacing cookies about 1 inch apart.
• Bake in a 325F degree oven for 30 minutes or until very lightly browned. Place baking sheets on racks and let cookies cool for 5 minutes.
• Sift about half the 1-1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar over wax paper and transfer cookies to it. Sift the remaining 3/4 to 1 cup powdered sugar over top to cover cookies. Let stand until cool, then store in a tightly covered container.

KOURABIEDES (GREEK BUTTER COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, beat butter and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar until blended. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour and baking powder; gradually stir into butter mixture until blended (mixture will be crumbly). , Shape heaping tablespoons of dough into crescents. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool 15 minutes., Place remaining sugar in a small bowl. Toss slightly cooled cookies in sugar; return cookies to wire rack to cool completely. , Toss cookies in sugar once more before serving. Store in an airtight container, adding any remaining confectioners' sugar to cover cookies.

KOURABIEDES I

Steps:

• Sift flour with baking powder. Set aside.
• Cream butter and gradually add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg yolk, brandy and vanilla. Beat again until very light. Stir in almonds.
• Blend in flour mixture, mix to form a soft, smooth dough. Chill 30 minutes or until it can be handled easily.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C).
• Shape level tablespoonfuls of dough into crescent-shapes. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Insert whole clove into center of each. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until light...do not brown. Cool on rack. Dust generously with confectioners' sugar.