Greek Almond Shortbread Cookies Recipes

ALMOND SHORTBREAD I

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat butter with 1/2 cup sugar and almond extract until light and fluffy. With a wooden spoon, stir in flour until smooth and well combined. Divide dough into 2 parts. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• On lightly sugared surface, roll out dough, one part at a time, about 1/2-inch thick. Cut out cookies with a 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Make an indentation in the center of each cookie with the end of a wooden spoon.
• Bake in preheated oven until cookies are light golden brown around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. While still warm, roll in sugar. Cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an air-tight container.

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.

KOURAMBIATHES (GREEK COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease baking sheets.
• In a medium bowl, cream the butter, egg yolk and anise extract until light. Stir in the 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and flour until blended.
• Shape dough into crescents and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in preheated oven just until bottoms and edges begin to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Dust heavily with confectioners' sugar before they are completely cool.

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 (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.