These melt in your mouth kourabiedes (Kourabies (pl. kourabiedes, pronounced kou-rah-bee-EH-thez), as most of you, who follow my blog, must know by now, are the Greek shortbread cookies made during Christmas.
In the older times, before the use of the mixer, these cookies needed elaborate preparation and that was done by hand, so these were made for special occasions such as weddings, christenings and other celebrations.
Traditionally they were flavoured with rose water or blossom water. Local butter, usually ewe’s and/or ewe’s and goat butter is used and roasted almonds are sometimes added.
They are then formed into round or crescent cookies which, after baking, are then coated with confectioners’ sugar.
Through the centuries, other flavorings have been added in lieu of, or in combination with, rose or blossom water, such as lemon zest, orange zest, vanilla, etc.
Liquor such as Metaxa brandy, Greek mastiha, or ouzo are sometimes added to kourabiedes.
After the cookies are removed from the oven and slightly cooled, blossom or rose water may be sprinkled on the cookies before dusting with sugar to help the coating to stick, although this method seems not be used any more.
We continue to do this in Cyprus for Loukoumia tou Gamou, our Wedding cookies.
Modern versions of kourabiedes now include other non traditional ingredients as well.
I have been making kourabiedes for many years and a very significant factor to have tasty kourabiedes lies mainly in the quality of butter used.
This year I made them with a butter I never used before and quite frankly I was really afraid what the outcome would be.
I asked my husband to bring sheep’s butter and instead he brought a Cretan butter called Stakovoutyro, made of sheep’s and goat milk.
Staka is the fresh cream skimmed off the top of milk and Stakovoutyro is the buttercream (like clotted cream) made by cooking staka.
I know that all Cretan products are delicious but I didn’t know if I could use this butter to make kourabiedes. On the back of the jar it said suitable for cooking and for desserts, so I risked making them and the result was fabulous.
If you cannot find ewe’s or goat milk butter these can also be made with regular butter, although they will lack the characteristic taste, they will still be delicious.
They were perfect in taste and each bite they melted in your mouth, making you want to eat more and more.
You can get the recipe by downloading my free e-book just by subscribing to my blog.
This recipe also goes to Rosa, of Rosa’s Yummy Yums, for her even Pastries For Peace.
This recipe also goes to Susan of Food Blogga for her event Eat Christmas Cookies, Season 3
This recipe goes to Cinzia of Cindystar, for her event Baking under the Christmas Tree.
This and many more recipes are included in my cookbook «Mint, Cinnamon & Blossom Water, Flavours of Cyprus, Kopiaste!»
You can find many more Greek recipes in my cookbooks «More Than A Greek Salad», and «Mint, Cinnamon & Blossom Water, Flavours of Cyprus, Kopiaste!» both available on all Amazon stores. Read more here.
Melt in your mouth Kourabiedes
Kourabies (pl. kourabiedes) are the Greek shortbread cookies made during Christmas. In the older times, before the use of the mixer, these cookies needed elaborate preparation and that was done by hand, so these were made for special occasions such as weddings, christenings and other celebrations.
Ingredients
- 150 grams (5.29 oz) blanched and roasted almonds
- 375 grams (13.3 oz) ewe's and goat milk butter, at room temperature
- 125 grams (4.4 oz) icing sugar
- 600 grams (1.32 lbs) all-purpose flour
- 1 shot (30 grams - 1 oz) mastic liqueur, ouzo, brandy or rum
- ½ tsp vanilla essence
- A pinch of salt
- 300 grams (0.66 lbs) icing sugar, for coating
Instructions
- Blanche and roast the almonds in a preheated oven to 180o C / 350o F, for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool and then coarsely cut them with a knife or in the food processor into small pieces.
- Sieve the flour and then sieve the icing sugar, separately.
- Beat the butter with the icing sugar at low speed until incorporated and then beat at high speed for ten minutes until it becomes white and fluffy. Add the liqueur (or ouzo, brandy or rum) and vanilla.
- Stop the mixer and change the paddle to the hook or the K beater.
- Add two thirds of the flour as well as the salt and mix.
- Stop the mixer, add the almonds and continue mixing by hand, adding the remaining flour gradually until the dough is soft but not sticky on the hands.
- You can manually shape them into crescents or round balls or remove the dough on a non-stick working surface or on parchment paper and flatten the dough about 1 cm.
- Cut with a cookie cutter and place on a baking tin lined with parchment paper, spaced apart.
- Bake in a preheated oven to 180o C / 350o F, for about 16 minutes, depending on your oven. If you are making them into balls, weigh the dough to be 30 grams each and bake them for about 18 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes.
- Spray them with blossom water then turn them over and do the same.
- Using a sieve, sprinkle some icing sugar and then turn them again. Continue sieving until they are coated and then place them in a platter.
Notes
Baking time:
- For those which are 30 grams each about, 18 minutes.
- The icing sugar used may be sieved and used again.
For those which are 25 grams each about, 16 minutes.
For those which are 20 grams each about, 14 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Yield 40 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 138Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 2mgSodium 26mgCarbohydrates 24gFiber 1gSugar 12gProtein 3g
"These values are automatically calculated and offered for guidance only. Their accuracy is not guaranteed."
Christmas Desserts
Looking for inspiration for this Christmas?
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These gingerbread cookies are made with carob syrup instead of molasses and perfect to add to your Christmas cookies recipes.
Diples
Diples (pronounced diip-LESS), which means folded, is another traditional Christmas sweet pastry, made in many parts of Greece especially in the Peloponnese. These are the desserts they serve at weddings, christenings, engagements etc. but are also very popular during Christmas.
Melomakarona with Chocolate
Melomakarona are spicy Christmas olive oil and semolina cookies drenched in a honey syrup and sprinkled with walnuts on top.
Mandarin Melomakarona
"Melomakarona" (honey cookies) is a traditional recipe made during Christmas. The cookies are made with olive oil and drenched in a honey syrup, with lots of walnuts on top.
Traditional Greek Baklavas
The traditional Greek baklavas, is made with many layers of thin sheets of "phyllo kroustas",  which are brushed with butter, with various kinds of nuts and spices added between the layers and sweetened with honey syrup.
Eggless Nanaimo Salepi (Sahlab) Bars
Nanaimo Bars are a classic Canadian Christmas dessert. They are made with a chocolate biscuit base, coconut, and walnut crust then topped with a layer of custard and topped with chocolate.
Christmas Chocolate Wafer Coconut Roulade
This Christmas Chocolate Wafer Coconut Roulade is made with a biscuit base crust and is filled with pastry cream, topped with chocolate ganache.
Christmas Chocolate Carob Yule Log (Bûche de Noël)
A Yule log (or bûche de Noël in French, is a traditional Christmas dessert made of a yellow sponge cake which is shaped into a roulade in order to create a chopped branch.
White Christmas Fruit Cake
Ever since the British occupation of Cyprus, Christmas cake has been a big part of our holiday celebrations. Many families have a traditional recipe for a Christmas Cake and ours is no exception.
Traditional Christmas Cake
A traditional Christmas cake recipe which is filled with homemade fruit preserve, as well as nuts, raisins brandy and treacle.
Vanillekipferl (Christmas Almond Crescent Cookies)
Vanillekipferl are cookies which originate from Austria and can be found in many other countries such as Germany, Hungary and otheer Eastern European counties.
Chocolate Kourabiedes
These chocolate kourabiedes are made with buffalo milk butter and cocoa powder and filled with dark chocolate and orange preserve.
Easy Chocolate Truffles from Christmas Leftovers
These truffles are an ingenious way to use up leftover kourabiedes, melomakarona, Christmas Cake, or Cookies.
Melomakarona with Pecans
Melomakarona with Pecans are one of our Christmas traditional cookies which are infused in honey. They have no butter, no eggs, nothing dairy but they are so tasty you cannot just eat one.Â
Kourabiedes by Parliaros
These kourabiedes are adapted from the famous Greek pastry chef, Stelios Parliaros.
Aromatic Greek Kourabiedes
These aromatic Kourabiedes (Greek Christmas cookies) are flavoured with vanilla and citrus blossom water.
Melt in your mouth Kourabiedes
Kourabies (pl. kourabiedes) are the Greek shortbread cookies made during Christmas. In the older times, before the use of the mixer, these cookies needed elaborate preparation and that was done by hand, so these were made for special occasions such as weddings, christenings and other celebrations.
Black Lava Orange Gateau, A gourmet dessert made out of leftovers
This Black Lava Orange Gateau, is easy to make and was made out of leftover Christmas Cookies. Everyboday gets fed up of eating the same cookies for many days, so I decided to use my leftovers and make a new dessert which we enjoyed after the holidays!
Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas to you all!!
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Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,
mary
Monday 21st of December 2009
with the exception of the mastic liqueur, these are exactly the way my yiayia taught my father to make kourabeides so that he could teach my mother and me. I have tried variations over the years, but this simple recipe is always always the best. And I love the star shape! Cookie cutters -- what a great idea!
tasteofbeirut
Thursday 17th of December 2009
These remind me of our ghraybeh (even the name sounds similar) which are shortbread cookies. I like the addition of mastic liqueur especially. Here we use the mastic pebbles ground with a pinch of sugar, I had no idea you could get this liqueur!
Peter
Wednesday 16th of December 2009
When made well, Kourabiedes cannot be beat and with all that butter...they last a long time! Happy baking.
History of Greek Food
Wednesday 16th of December 2009
Stakovoutyro is a wonderful butter! Women in Creatan villages make their kourambiedes with a combination of stakovoutyro and olive oil making the dough crunchy.
cheffresco
Wednesday 16th of December 2009
How fun and festive! Love the decorations!