1 of 2 photos

Photo by:

Add this recipe to your:

Send this recipe:

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cookies 42g Recipe makes 30 cookies)
Calories 201
Calories from Fat 135		(67%)
Amount Per Serving		%DV
	Total Fat 15.1g	23%
	Saturated Fat 8.1g	40%
	Monounsaturated Fat 4.9g
	Polyunsaturated Fat 1.1g
	Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 45mg		15%
Sodium 136mg		5%
Potassium 52mg		1%
Total Carbohydrate 14.5g		4%
	Dietary Fiber 0.9g	3%
	Sugars 4.2g
Protein 2.6g		5%
how is this calculated?

Menus using this recipe:

Kourambiedes (A Greek Christmas Cookie)

Recipe #76513 | 30 min | 15 min prep | add private note

⁽⁷⁾ RATE IT NOW Print Recipe

By: evelyn/athens
Nov 15, 2003

Basically a Greek butterball cookie recipe. These, with Melomakarona, are found in every Greek home during the Christmas Holidays. I go through phases. One year, or for a couple of years, these are my favourites, then Melomakarona are, and I keep switching back and forth. They're both wonderful! These keep wonderfully, long after Christmas is over, if any are left.

30 -40 cookies (change servings and units)

Ingredients

2 cups butter, softened
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3-4 cups flour
1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon brandy
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1 cup almonds, chopped and roasted
some rose water or orange flower water (available in many ethnic groceries) or ouzo
extra icing sugar, for rolling the cookies in

Directions

1
Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer for 15 minutes, until it begins to turn white. Mix in the baking powder and baking soda.
2
Add the egg yolks, the brandy, 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.
3
Let the dough stand for an hour in a warm place (away from drafts - the inside of your oven is fine) covered by a towel.
4
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.
5
Arrange the round cookies on a buttered pan and flatten ever so slightly on top with your hand.
6
Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes.
7
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).
8
Roll the hot cookies in icing sugar to cover and let cool.
9
When cool, arrange on a pretty holiday platter, sieving more icing sugar between the cookie layers to give a snowdrift effect.

Questions about this recipe?

Featured Reviews for This Recipe

From: elizam

On Jan 30, 2010

By far a great recipe. Don't tell my mother that I'm using this one instead of hers. They are light, and short. They really melt in your mouth. I like them with cloves, which adds some dimension, but it's a pain to remember to tell people to take it out before they eat it, so I wonder if adding a touch of ground clove to the batter would do the trick?

1 person found this review helpful

Was this review helpful to you? YES | NO

From: thomaitsa<3

On Dec 22, 2009

Thank you so much for this recipe ! My giagia is sick and had to undergo surgery and she makes them every year and I didn't want them to not be made so I found this recipe and did it today to see if I'd make them for Christmas ... They're amazing ! Just like ones from Greek bakeries. I was looking for other ones online before I found this one, but since none of the bakers were Greek the other recipes weren't at all authentic and were more like Americanized interpretations of the kourambiedes. THESE are the best ! I didn't have brandy on hand and used mastic ouzo from Xios and they still came out really good. Thanks for this recipe <3

1 person found this review helpful

Was this review helpful to you? YES | NO

From: Sassy Syrah

On Jan 22, 2005

Evelyn, I am sorry I forgot to review these. I made them for Christmas and they were delightful. I loved the fact that they melted in your mouth. I did make them ahead of time and froze them formed on a lined baking tray. Then I put them in plastic bag in the freezer. I baked from frozen, adding maybe 5 minutes cooking time and they were outstanding.

5 people found this review helpful

Was this review helpful to you? YES | NO

From: J-Lynn

On Oct 23, 2008

Wonderful melt-in-your-mouth crumbly texture! I made 1/2 the recipe. Didn't have brandy or rose water- still a great cookie. We love 'em. My Greek neighbor said next time I should make them bigger and thicker... She also said that while it's good for the dough to rest for that hour, it's not absolutely necessary. Thanks for a delicious recipe!

2 people found this review helpful

Was this review helpful to you? YES | NO

Read all 7 reviews