Traditional Kourabiedes with Less Sugar and Lots of Secrets (Greek Christmas Snowball Cookies)

Name: Traditional Kourabiedes with Less Sugar and Lots of Secrets (Greek Christmas Snowball Cookies)
Yield: 1 large baking sheet (~30 cookies)
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/3 cups melted sheep and goat’s milk butter (about 300 grams; see explanation below); 1 1/4 cups blanched almonds (about 180 grams); 1/2 cup powdered sugar (about 55 grams); 2 tablespoons brandy (about 25 ml); 4 cups all-purpose flour (about 500 grams); 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; Powdered sugar for dusting, or you can cover them with chocolate (instructions for chocolate coating in another post)

Penelope Karagouni @Penelope67

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Want your kourabiedes to be amazing, not just good? The number one secret to great kourabiedes is using the highest quality butter! Don’t compromise by using margarine or low-quality butter. Use melted butter made from sheep and goat’s milk for the best aroma. If you’re outside Greece and can’t find it easily, buy Indian ghee.
Kourabiedes shouldn’t be overly sweet, so don’t add too much sugar to the dough since you’ll be coating them with plenty of powdered sugar later.

Penelope Karagouni @Penelope67

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Ingredients

1 large baking sheet (~30 cookies)

For one large baking sheet:
1 1/3 cupsmelted sheep and goat’s milk butter (about 300 grams; see explanation below)
1 1/4 cupsblanched almonds (about 180 grams)
1/2 cuppowdered sugar (about 55 grams)
2 tablespoonsbrandy (about 25 ml)
4 cupsall-purpose flour (about 500 grams)
1/2 teaspoonbaking powder
Powdered sugar for dusting, or you can cover them with chocolate (instructions for chocolate coating in another post)

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Steps

1

Buy melted butter in glass or plastic jars at the supermarket. You don’t need to melt it yourself. It’s called ‘melted’ because the water has been removed. For the best buttery aroma, choose sheep and goat’s milk butter, then goat’s milk, and finally cow’s milk if you prefer a milder flavor.
2

Personally, I think the best aroma comes from melted sheep’s milk butter or melted goat’s milk butter. If you can’t find melted butter, use the highest quality sheep’s milk butter you can find. If you’re outside Greece and can’t find it, use ghee.
3

Start by toasting the blanched almonds in the oven at 340°F (170°C) for a few minutes until they turn a light beige color. Let them cool, then chop them into medium pieces with a knife. Don’t use a blender, as you want to feel the crunchy almond pieces in the cookies! Don’t skip this step or use raw almonds, or they won’t be crunchy as they should be.
4

In a bowl, add the melted butter and powdered sugar. Since the butter doesn’t contain water, don’t let it come to room temperature or it will melt completely. It should be cold, but not too hard. Before using a mixer, mash it a bit with a fork to break it up. This is easy to do.
5

Beat the butter and powdered sugar on high speed for 10 minutes until fluffy. If you have a basic mixer, the mixture may not get very fluffy because the heat from mixing will start to melt it and it will look like heavy cream. That’s okay—my grandmother used to beat it by hand for 20 minutes!
6

Stop mixing and add the brandy, the baking powder (mixed into the flour), and the flour gradually, kneading by hand. When the dough starts to firm up, add the almonds. Continue kneading until the almonds are fully incorporated. The dough should be a bit firmer than cookie dough. When you shape a cookie, it shouldn’t leave much oil on your hands—if it does, add a little more flour.
7

My grandmother used to say, ‘Add as much flour as it takes!’ That’s because the amount of flour needed depends on its quality and gluten content. Use almost all the flour. The dough is ready when it’s firm and just starts to crumble slightly, but don’t add too much flour at once or the cookies may fall apart when you shape them.
8

Cover the dough with a plate and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then shape one cookie by hand to check if it holds together well. Usually, you’ll use all 500 grams (4 cups) of flour, but it depends on the flour. If needed, add a little more, but only a small amount at a time. Shape the cookies and place them on a baking sheet.
9

Bake at 340°F (170°C) without convection for 25–35 minutes, depending on your oven and the size of the cookies. They should turn a light golden color. When you touch them, they shouldn’t be as firm as regular cookies—they’ll firm up more as they cool. You may notice some cracks on top, which is normal.
10

Put plenty of powdered sugar in a bowl, dip the cookies in, and gently coat them. If they’re warm, more sugar will stick; if they’re cool, less will stick. Place them carefully on a baking sheet lined with a little powdered sugar, then dust more sugar on top using a sifter.
11

To keep them crunchy, store them in an airtight container after a few hours. They’ll keep well for up to two months, though they probably won’t last that long!
12

For your information, kourabiedes aren’t made only in Greece. They’re also made in Russia as Russian tea cakes, and in the US and Mexico as Mexican Wedding Cookies!