Greek Almond Shortbread Cookies Recipes

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.

KOURAMBIETHES (GREEK ALMOND SHORTBREADS)

Steps:

• Gently melt the butter over low heat in a small heavy-based saucepan; without stirring or shaking the pan. Carefully pour the clear butter into another container, leaving the white sediment in the pan to be discarded. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 325 and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
• Grind the slivered almonds to a medium fine meal.
• In a bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together.
• Using an electric mixer, beat the chilled butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the icing sugar and combine well. Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and ouzo and beat until just combined. Fold in the flour, ground almonds and the almond meal.
• Shape heaped tablespoons of mixture into crescents, place on the baking trays and bake for 12 minutes, or until lightly colored.
• Remove from the oven and dust liberally with icing sugar. Leave to cool on the trays for 10 minutes.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and dust the paper with icing sugar. Lift the warm biscuits onto this and dust again with the icicng sugar. When the biscuits are cool, dust them once again with the icing sugar before storing them in an airtight container.

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.