Kourambiedes Iii Food

KOURAMBIEDES III

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, cream the butter and confectioners' sugar together. Stir in the vanilla, then the flour, then the pecans.
• Roll dough into walnut sized balls and insert a clove into each one. Place on an unprepared cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes in the preheated oven. Roll the cookies in powdered sugar while they are still hot. Remove cloves before serving or warn guests to remove them.

GREEK CHRISTMAS COOKIES (KOURAMBIEDES)

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the butter and salt and whip until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sugar, egg, brandy, and vanilla and beat until all of the ingredients are integrated. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add sifted flour to the butter mixture. Using a rubber spatula, remove the dough and transfer it onto a piece of waxed paper or parchment. Refrigerate for about 45 minutes before rolling.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• After the dough has cooled, pinch off small pieces and roll them into about 1-inch balls. Place them in a single layer with space in between each, on a greased baking sheet. Repeat the process until all of the cookie dough has been rolled. Place a clove in the center of each cookie. Alternatively, shape the ball into half moons with a clove in the center of each.
• Place the sheets in the oven and bake until the cookies are just slightly brown, about 15 minutes. Allow them to cool thoroughly, and then roll them in powdered sugar.

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 II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Cream together butter, powdered sugar and almond extract. Add flour in steps (not all at one time).
• Knead with hands, shape into crescents. Bake for 20 minutes or until light brown. While warm, roll in confectioner's sugar.

KOURAMBIETHES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Beat butter for 10 minutes with electric mixer until very light and creamy. Beat the egg yolks and vanilla in a separate bowl until lemon-colored, 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat for 10 minutes. Add egg mixture to butter and add brandy and the flour, a little bit at a time, until dough is soft.
• Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into small crescents or balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until very lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes on the baking sheets. Sprinkle liberally with sifted confectioners' sugar while the cookies are still warm. Continue to cool to room temperature.
• Cook's Note: If the dough gets too warm and sticky while rolling the balls, re-chill it before continuing.

MARY'S KOURAMBIEDES

Steps:

• Boil the almonds in a pot with water for 5 minutes.Then peel them and cut in quarters.
• Beat the butter with the sugar until its gets "white". Then add the egg yolk the vanilla,the semolina,the brandy and the almond pieces.
• Then add the flour little by little. Make a soft but not sticky dough.
• Next, using small amounts (about 1 1/2 teaspoons of dough), shape in crescent shapes by gently rolling the dough around between the palms of your hands.
• Bake in a prehetead oven at 350F for 15-17 minutes.
• Dust them with the remaining powdered sugar when they are still hot.

"KOURAMBIEDES" GREEK CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Cream the butter until light, creamy & fluffy. Gradually add the sifted icing sugar & continue beating the mixture until smooth & well blended. Add the egg yolk & the brandy and beat until smooth.
• 2. Add the sifted flour & chopped almonds a little at a time continue beating for about half hour or until it's firm enough to handle easily.
• 3. With floured hands shape pieces of dough into small balls about 1 1/2 in. in diameter, flatted each one with the palm of your hand or make in crescent shape or any other shape you like by using a cookie cutter.
• 4. Preheat oven 350F (175C) Place your kourambithes on a lined with wax paper cookie sheet. If you want stick a whole clove on top of each flatten cookie. Bake the kourambiethes for 15-20 minutes, always keeping an eye on them as oven differ and might burn. They should not brown on top.
• 5. When done remove from oven. While still hot sprinkle them with rosewater and dust with icing sugar. Place them on a serving dish allowing to cool and dust again with icing sugar.
• 6. Note: We usually place them on a round platter in a pyramid shape and then dust them all over. Too many cookies? The cookie dough can be divided, and the unused portion stored in the refrigerator. Wrap well in plastic wrap, and it will keep for up to two months. When ready to use, remove from refrigerator and let the dough sit for an hour. Then, beat with the mixer briefly to aerate the dough. To store: Kourabiethes will keep for several months if stored in airtight containers. Make sure there's a dusting of powdered sugar on the bottom of the container, then layer cookies as above, each layer with a covering of sugar. Wait one day after baking to cover with an airtight lid. They also keep and freeze beautifully, and when serving to others after they have been stored, just give them a fresh coat of confectioners sugar. Only one negative - you can't sneak eating one of these because of the confectioners sugar dusting you get all over yourself!"

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 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.