Kourabiedes: Greek Walnut Cookies

Votes: 1

Time: 1 hour 50 min.
Complexity: easily
Quantity: 24 cookies

Nutritional value per serving:

Serving size: 1 of 8 servings
Calories 275, total fat 13 G., saturated fats 8 G., proteins 3 G., carbohydrates 37 G., fiber 1 G., cholesterol 54 mg, sodium 99 mg, sugar 18 G.

Kourabiedes are crumbly Greek cookies often baked for Christmas, but they're also popular at weddings, Easter, and any other holiday. This recipe uses a mixture of ground and crushed walnuts, the flavor of which is wonderfully complemented by vanilla extract and a drop of orange blossom essence. The finished cookies are immediately rolled in powdered sugar. At Christmas, it's traditional to stick a clove into the top of each cookie, symbolizing the gifts of the Magi to the baby Jesus.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

3/4 cup walnuts
1.5 cups premium flour
0.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
110 g unsalted butter, softened
0.5 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp brandy
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp orange blossom essence*
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Recipes with similar ingredients: premium flour, shortbread cookies, eggs, powdered sugar, walnuts, orange blossom water, brandy

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Preheat oven to 175°C.
Toast the walnuts until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Let cool, then chop about half the walnuts (you should have about 0.5 cups). Pulse the remaining walnuts in a food processor until finely ground (about 1/4 cup ground nuts).

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and nuts in a medium bowl. Set aside. In another medium bowl, beat the butter, sugar, egg yolk, brandy, and vanilla extract with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.

Note *

Orange blossom water can be found in specialty stores or online.
Beat in the nut mixture on low speed until a crumbly dough forms. Cover the bowl and set the dough aside for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
Divide the dough into 2.5 cm (1-inch) pieces and roll them into balls between your palms. Pinch the ends of the balls to form an oval shape. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until set and starting to darken, about 18 minutes.
Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately spray them lightly with orange blossom water using a brush. If you don't have a brush, simply dip your fingers in the essence and swipe them over the cookies a few times. Don't let the cookies get wet—just let them smell fragrant.
Place powdered sugar in a small bag and add 5-6 hot cookies. Gently toss the cookies to coat them. Remove from the bag and cool on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Serve. Store finished cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week..
Freezing Tips

The finished cookies can be wrapped in plastic wrap, then wrapped in foil, and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Before serving, let the cookies come to room temperature, then dust with powdered sugar.

The dough can be frozen for up to 2 weeks.