Greek Christmas Almond Shortbread Cookies (kourabiedes)
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Traditional Christmas shortbread cookies with almonds from Greece
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Greek
Serves: 34-36 cookies
Ingredients
  • 6 oz. (1½ sticks) good quality butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup confectioner’s sugar (+ 1 cup more for coating and dusting)
  • 1 med. egg yolk
  • ¼ tsp. almond extract
  • 1¼ cup All-purpose flour
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ½ cup slivered or whole blanched almonds, toasted
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Lightly toast the almonds in a small skillet, making sure the almonds do not burn. Chop them roughly and set aside.
  3. In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and ½ cup confectioner’s sugar until very creamy. Add the egg yolk and the almond extract.
  4. In a small bowl, blend the flour and the salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix just until just combined. Next, stir in the toasted almonds. The dough will be sticky, but do not add more flour at this point. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
  5. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. (If the dough is still too soft, add one tablespoon of flour). Using a small spoon take a tablespoon of the dough and form it into a small ball and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Bake for about 15 minutes, or, until the bottom of the cookie is light brown. (Check so you do not over-bake).
  6. While the cookies are baking, pour the remaining one cup of confectioner's sugar into a small bowl. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool slightly. When they are easy to handle, gently roll them, one by one, in confectioner's sugar to coat. Once they are cooled completely, place them in a platter and dust them generously with the confectioner's sugar.
Notes
You can also cut out shapes using this dough: turn the dough onto a well-floured countertop and roll it to a ¼” thickness. Cut out in half moon shapes or in star shapes.

To bake all cookies at once, place the baking sheets on the top and the middle rack and use the "convection bake" setting of the oven. Lower the temperature to 325°F and bake for about 10 minutes.

It is very easy to double this recipe - I always do! The cookies can be stored at room temperature, slightly covered for a week.
Recipe by Marilena's Kitchen at https://marilenaskitchen.com/greek-christmas-almond-shortbread-cookies-kourabiedes/