Greek Kourabiedes Cookies Food

GREEK BUTTER COOKIES (KOURABIEDES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift together flour, almonds, confectioners' sugar, and salt into a medium bowl.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and honey on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in vanilla and lemon zest. (It may not come together fully until you add flour mixture.) Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour mixture, alternating with mastiha.
• Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough; roll into a ball. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until brown around edges, about 20 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks; let cool completely. Roll cookies in confectioners' sugar until thoroughly coated. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

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.

KOURAMBIEDES (A GREEK CHRISTMAS COOKIE)

Steps:

• Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer for 15 minutes, until it begins to turn white. Mix in the baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Add the egg yolks, the brandy, vanilla extract, and gradually add the flour, until you have a dough that is neither too soft nor too firm (you may need to add slightly more than the amount I've written); stir in the almonds.
• Let the dough stand for an hour at room temperature, covered with a clean dish towel.
• Next, with small amounts (about 1 1/2 teaspoons of dough), shape small rounds by gently rolling the dough around between the palms of your hands.
• Arrange the round cookies on a buttered pan and flatten ever so slightly on top with your hand.
• Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes.
• Immediately upon removing the kourambiedes from the oven, sprinkle them with rose water (or orange water or ouzo. I do this by putting a small amount of the liquid in a bowl, wetting my fingertips, and shaking the droplets over the hot cookies a few times. The scented water or ouzo gives the cookies a very delicate fragrance).
• Roll the hot cookies in icing sugar to cover and let cool.
• When cool, arrange on a pretty holiday platter, sieving more icing sugar between the cookie layers to give a snowdrift effect.

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

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.

KOURABIEDES, GREEK BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
• In a bowl, cream the softened butter for 3 mts until light and airy. Add the icing sugar and beat for another 4-5 mts.
• Add vanilla extract, lemon zest, rose water and clove powder and mix well. Add the almond powder and mix till well combined.
• Finally add the flour in two batches and mix with a wooden spoon. Do not over beat or mix the mixture. You will have a soft dough. Refrigerate the soft dough for 15 mts.
• Shape the dough into small flattened balls. Make a small indent in the middle of each ball using your thumb. OR you shape the dough into moon shaped crescents as shown in the image above. Place them in a parchment lined cookie sheet/tray. Again refrigerate the shaped cookies in the oven for 15 mts while you pre-heat the oven at 175 C.
• Bake the cookies in the pre-heated oven for 15-18 mts. They will be soft on touch and will be pale in color and will not turn golden. Remove from oven when they are just beginning to change color.
• In a wide plate, add some icing sugar and place the warm cookies. Dust them with more powdered sugar till it coats well. Remember to dust the cookies when they are hot off the oven as the sugar will coat well when the cookies are warm.
• Place in an airtight container and they stay good for at least a week.

KOURABIEDES (GREEK BUTTER COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter in the bottom of a stand mixer on a medium-high speed for 20 minutes. Add egg and almond extract, mix until combined.
• Sift ½ cup powdered sugar, baking soda, flour and salt together in a large bowl. With the speed on low, add mixture a little bit at a time until completely incorporated. If the dough is too sticky, add a little bit more of flour.
• To Form: Roll about 2 tablespoons of dough into crescents and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silt pad. There is no need to place cookies very far apart, as they do not spread much. Bake for 15-20 minutes until very pale brown and cooked through.
• If serving cookies right away. Let them cool slightly and toss in powdered sugar. Serve within 24 hours. If you want to bake them and then serve later, store in an airtight container in the fridge (or we store them outside when it's cold). When ready to serve, pop in a warm oven until warm, then roll in powdered sugar. *These can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

KOURABIEDES: GREEK CHRISTMAS BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven at 350 degrees F (180 Celsius)
• In a large bowl whip the butter until white and fluffy. Add the ½ cup powdered sugar gradually. Continue mixing and add the egg yolk and the cognac or ouzo. In another bowl sift flour and mix well with the baking powder, add the chopped almonds. Add the flour mixture to the butter and mix. Knead for a few minutes and if needed add a bit more flour. This dough will be a bit sticky. Put the dough in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Remove from the refrigerator and make small round shapes about the size of a walnut and flatten a bit with your fingers. Another common shape is the crescent. My 3-year-old son also made some in the shape of a star using a cookie cutter.
• Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. Be careful not to over bake otherwise these cookies will be hard instead of having a melt-in-your-mouth quality.
• Once you remove them from the oven sprinkle with some rose water or substitute.
• Fill shallow bowl with the rest of the powdered sugar (4 cups), dip each kourabie in the sugar mixture making sure they are well covered with sugar, place on a large platter. Once you have 1 layer of kourabiedes on the platter, sift powdered sugar over the kourabiedes, continue the same process with the next layer, layering until you have small pyramid.

KOURABIEDES - GREEK CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper
• Add butter and 1 cup powdered sugar to bowl of electric mixer. Beat on medium speed with the paddle attachment until very light and fluffy (about 15-20 minutes).
• Add egg yolk, brandy, and vanilla. Beat until well incorporated.
• Add roasted almonds beat until mixed in.
• Sift flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Gradually add flour to butter mixture until a dough forms.
• Roll the dough into 2 tablespoon-size balls, or roll out dough and cut into crescents, stars, or whatever shape you like.
• Place cookies on prepared baking pan and bake 20-25 minutes until light golden, rotating pan half way.
• Use a sieve to evenly spread about half of the powdered sugar in a large deep baking pan. Once cookies are out of the oven, spray with blossom water. Then, carefully place each cookie in powdered sugar lined pan. Cover cookies with remaining powdered sugar.
• Cool completely and transfer to serving platter.
• Enjoy!

KOURABIEDES: GREEK FESTIVE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease a large baking sheet lightly with butter or cooking spray.
• Fry or bake slivered almonds until a light golden brown.
• Beat butter in blender or with a hand mixer on high for 20 to 30 minutes until white, light and creamy. Add the egg and yolks one at a time mixing well to incorporate.
• Add 1 cup powdered sugar, vanilla, optional gum powder, rose water, ouzo and then almonds.
• Next sift together baking powder and flour. Slowly add to mixture,
• The final dough should be soft and easy to work with. So now form them into small balls -- about a fist-full. Form like dumplings and imprint thumb on all sides of the cookie.
• Bake for 10 to 20 minutes until light golden brown. Immediately splash with hand a mixture of 1/4 cup water and 1/2 cup rose water.
• Finally, place cookies on a serving tray and use a sifter to sprinkle powdered sugar on cookies until coated.
• Then say, "Hopa" and enjoy with friends and family!!!

GREEK KOURABIEDES 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.

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.