Kourabiedes

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 100 g almonds (optionally sliced ​​almonds)
• 250 g butter, soft
• 50 g powdered sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 500 g flour
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar
• ½ pack of baking powder
• 1 orange(s), grated peel
• 250 g icing sugar for the finished cookies

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Greek Christmas biscuits, for about 60 pieces

This pastry is associated with Christmas in Greece like no other. You can buy them everywhere there, but Mama’s kurabiedes are the best. If using whole almonds, blanch them in boiling water and peel off the skins. Lightly toast them in the oven, and once cooled, chop them medium-finely. Toast slivered almonds only slightly. Cream the softened butter with about 50 g of powdered sugar until fluffy, add the egg yolk, and then gradually add the remaining ingredients (be careful, the dough won’t be a completely homogenous mass, more like crumble!). Divide this dough into 3-4 portions and knead each one a little more by hand. Then carefully roll out with a rolling pin (about 0.5 cm thick). You can also form small balls, but we prefer to cut them out. Traditionally, the kurabiedes are half-moon-shaped, but any reasonably compact shape will work (moons, hearts, stars). Complicated shapes break very easily. Spread them on baking sheets and bake at medium heat (approx. 170°C fan-assisted oven) until they begin to brown (sorry, I wasn’t checking the time). Meanwhile, cover another baking sheet/tray with a layer of powdered sugar. While still hot, transfer the Kurabiedes to the layer of powdered sugar and cover with another layer of powdered sugar. Once cooled, carefully store the Kurabiedes in a cookie tin. You’ll need quite a few sheets, as the cookies shouldn’t be stacked until cooled. This makes about 60 cookies.