Best Kourambiedes Recipes

KOURAMBIEDES (A GREEK CHRISTMAS COOKIE)

Steps:

• Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer for 15 minutes, until it begins to turn white. Mix in the baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Add the egg yolks, the brandy, vanilla extract, 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.
• Let the dough stand for an hour at room temperature, covered with a clean dish towel.
• 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.
• Arrange the round cookies on a buttered pan and flatten ever so slightly on top with your hand.
• Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes.
• 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).
• Roll the hot cookies in icing sugar to cover and let cool.
• When cool, arrange on a pretty holiday platter, sieving more icing sugar between the cookie layers to give a snowdrift effect.

GREEK CHRISTMAS COOKIES (KOURAMBIEDES)

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the butter and salt and whip until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sugar, egg, brandy, and vanilla and beat until all of the ingredients are integrated. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add sifted flour to the butter mixture. Using a rubber spatula, remove the dough and transfer it onto a piece of waxed paper or parchment. Refrigerate for about 45 minutes before rolling.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• After the dough has cooled, pinch off small pieces and roll them into about 1-inch balls. Place them in a single layer with space in between each, on a greased baking sheet. Repeat the process until all of the cookie dough has been rolled. Place a clove in the center of each cookie. Alternatively, shape the ball into half moons with a clove in the center of each.
• Place the sheets in the oven and bake until the cookies are just slightly brown, about 15 minutes. Allow them to cool thoroughly, and then roll them in powdered sugar.

GREEK BUTTER COOKIES (KOURAMBIEDES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With an electric mixer, whip the butter until creamy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, baking powder, sugar and nuts. Mix thoroughly.
• Add the flour until the dough becomes too stiff to beat with a mixer. By hand, add flour and knead until dough is smooth and rolls off your fingers without sticking.
• Roll the dough out by hand into a cylinder roughly one inch in diameter and eight inches long. Cut diagonally into one-and-a-half-inch pieces. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown. Let the cookies cool and sprinkle them generously with confectioners' sugar.

"KOURAMBIEDES" GREEK CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Cream the butter until light, creamy & fluffy. Gradually add the sifted icing sugar & continue beating the mixture until smooth & well blended. Add the egg yolk & the brandy and beat until smooth.
• 2. Add the sifted flour & chopped almonds a little at a time continue beating for about half hour or until it's firm enough to handle easily.
• 3. With floured hands shape pieces of dough into small balls about 1 1/2 in. in diameter, flatted each one with the palm of your hand or make in crescent shape or any other shape you like by using a cookie cutter.
• 4. Preheat oven 350F (175C) Place your kourambithes on a lined with wax paper cookie sheet. If you want stick a whole clove on top of each flatten cookie. Bake the kourambiethes for 15-20 minutes, always keeping an eye on them as oven differ and might burn. They should not brown on top.
• 5. When done remove from oven. While still hot sprinkle them with rosewater and dust with icing sugar. Place them on a serving dish allowing to cool and dust again with icing sugar.
• 6. Note: We usually place them on a round platter in a pyramid shape and then dust them all over. Too many cookies? The cookie dough can be divided, and the unused portion stored in the refrigerator. Wrap well in plastic wrap, and it will keep for up to two months. When ready to use, remove from refrigerator and let the dough sit for an hour. Then, beat with the mixer briefly to aerate the dough. To store: Kourabiethes will keep for several months if stored in airtight containers. Make sure there's a dusting of powdered sugar on the bottom of the container, then layer cookies as above, each layer with a covering of sugar. Wait one day after baking to cover with an airtight lid. They also keep and freeze beautifully, and when serving to others after they have been stored, just give them a fresh coat of confectioners sugar. Only one negative - you can't sneak eating one of these because of the confectioners sugar dusting you get all over yourself!"

KOURAMBIEDES III

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, cream the butter and confectioners' sugar together. Stir in the vanilla, then the flour, then the pecans.
• Roll dough into walnut sized balls and insert a clove into each one. Place on an unprepared cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes in the preheated oven. Roll the cookies in powdered sugar while they are still hot. Remove cloves before serving or warn guests to remove them.

GREEK CHRISTMAS COOKIES (KOURAMBIEDES)

Steps:

• 1. STAXTO-NERO: Add the ash to the water, bring to the boil, let sit for five minutes, bring back to the boil, remove from the heat and strain. Use a fine strainer. The water will look dark, pour into a glass and leave for about 10 minutes, sediment will settle at the bottom of the glass, pour into a clean glass leaving the sediment, which you just throw away. Now you have staxto-nero!
• 2. Put a little butter in a pan and add the almonds, stir continually until they are slightly toasted.
• 3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, margarine and 1/2 cup caster sugar for about five minutes. Should be white and airy. Add toasted almonds, vanilla and staxto-nero. MIX WELL WITH A WOODEN SPOON.
• 4. Gradually add the flour, you may use slightly less then 10000 grams, depending on the flour. Use you hands to knead it, the dough should not stick to your hands, but moist enough to be able to shape, and hold the cookie shape.
• 5. Bake at 200 for 12-15 minutes. The cookies will still be a pale color but are ready when they start to slightly brown around the edges.
• 6. While you're waiting for the cookies to bake, get your tray ready. Sift plenty of caster sugar covering the whole tray. remove the cookies from the oven and while still hot arrange in lines on the tray and immediately dredge lots of caster sugar on top. It's best to leave them overnight and dredge again next day. In my house that wasn't possible, kids ate them right away!! The cookies can be stored in an air-tight container for several days. Good luck with that!

KOURAMBIEDES (GREEK COOKIES)

Steps:

• Cream butter well; add sugar. Mix well.
• Add flour and vanilla gradually, mixing well. Add pecans. Dough will be very stiff.
• Roll or mash dough into 1/2-inch thick sheets. Cut with cookie cutter.
• Insert 1 whole clove into center of each cookie. Space on greased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.
• Bake about 15 minutes at 300 degrees or until just slightly brown.
• Cool and roll each cookie in additional powdered sugar.
• Arrange on large dish; sift sugar over cookies on plate. Mrs. Herman Swendsen, Pres. Tarpon Springs Church of God LWWB Tarpon Springs, Florida
• ***I have the same questions all of you have about this recipe. If anyone knows about these cookies, please enlighten us all. Thanks.

KOURAMBIEDES

Steps:

• Cream sweet butter, confectioner's till light and creamy, add egg yokes and vanilla. Sift flour and baking powder together into mixture. before it gets to thick start kneading it with the rest of the flour. Mold to desired forms using cookie cutters; or shape by hand into half moons. Place cloves into center of cookie and bake on cookie sheet lined with wax paper in a 350 degree oven till lightly browned (about 20 min.)
• Place cookies on brown paper dusted with confection's sugar and add more confection's sugar on the top of each cookie. Keep dusting the tops until all you see is white. Once they are cool place them carefully in a tin.

KOURAMBIEDES

Steps:

• Cream butter and gradually beat in sugar. Add egg yolk and beat well. Sift the flour and stir into creamed mixture alternately with almonds. Knead mixture lightly and form into ball. Dough may be crumbly. Roll small pieces of dough into balls slightly larger than the size of hazelnuts. Place on greased try and bake in slow oven (300F) for 25-30 minutes. While still warm, toss cookies in confectioner's sugar. Place on wire rack to cool. Add extra sugar to storage container after packing. Recipe can be doubled for large batch.