Kourabiedes (Greek Wedding Cookies)
Kourabiedes are traditional Greek butter cookies. These delicate, melt-in-your-mouth treats are made with a rich blend of butter, flour, and chopped almonds. They have a light, crumbly texture and a subtle nutty flavor. Infused with a hint of brandy and vanilla, they’re baked to a golden perfection and generously dusted with powdered sugar once cooled, creating a snowy, sweet coating.
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Tips for Making the Perfect Kourabiedes
temperature matters
Because these are butter cookies, all aspects of the butter are important. The temperature of the butter is key. Room temperature butter is soft enough to imprint with your finger, but not runny or melty. Starting with room temperature butter creates a dough with a light, fluffy texture and prevents the cookies from speading too much.
Use Quality Butter
European-style butter has a higher milk fat content than traditional butter, resulting in a creamier texture and richer flavor. Kourabiedes are BUTTER cookies. Using quality, European-style butter will make a difference in the end result.
The almonds
I use blanched almonds and lightly roast them myself. I haven’t tested the recipe with any other type of almonds. Most of my decision on which almonds to use came down to optics. I wanted the almonds to belnd into the dough.
there’s a thousand ways to chop almonds
I tested this recipe using a mini food processor, a full-size food processor, a manual hand chopper, and a knife and cutting board to chop the almonds. Some trials had finely chopped almonds, some had coarsely chopped almonds, and some had a combination of both. In the end, your personal preference will determine the best option for chopping the almonds. My personal preference is to use the manual hand chopper. This resulted in about ¼ cup finely chopped almonds and ¾ cup coarsely chopped almonds.
the dough
Kourabiedes are meant to have a melt-in-your-mouth texture. That’s the reason the butter and sugar are beaten together for so long. To ensure you end up with this texture, it’s important to not compress the dough too much throughout the process. Once fully mixed, the dough will still be slightly crumbly. As you form each cookie, cup the dough in your hands for a few seconds and the dough should easily form a ball or cresent.
Spraying the cookies
Most commonly you’ll find kourabiedes sprayed with rose water after baking. Personally I don’t care for the taste of rose water, so I opt to spray them with additional Metaxa to add flavor. You can skip this step altogether or spray with any of the following: rose water, orange blossom water, Metaxa. If you don’t have a spray bottle for cooking, you can use a silicone brush and drizzle the cookies with your flavor of choice instead.
How Do I Store Them? How Long Will They Last?
Kourabiedes will last for 3-4 weeks when properly stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Kourabiedes (Greek Wedding Cookies)
Ingredients
- 1 cup blanched almonds (See Note 1)
- 454 grams unsalted European-style butter room temperature (See Note 2)
- 160 grams powdered sugar
- 3 egg yolks room temperature
- ¼ cup Metaxa or another brandy or cognac
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 650 grams flour
- 2 tbsp Metaxa for spraying the cookies
- 1 kg powdered sugar for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Roast almonds for 7 minutes. Shake the pan once during roasting to prevent burning.1 cup blanched almonds
- Once cool enough to handle, chop the almonds. (See Note 3)
- Set chopped almonds aside and allow to cool completely before adding to the dough.
- Add butter and powdered sugar to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Begin mixing on low speed and gradually increase to high speed. Beat at high speed for 10-15 minutes until the mixture is white and fluffy.454 grams unsalted European-style butter, 160 grams powdered sugar
- Add egg yolks one by one ensuring each one is fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next one. Once all egg yolks are added, beat mixture for 1 minute.3 egg yolks
- Stop the mixer and scrape down sides of the bowl.
- Dissolve the baking soda in the Metaxa. Add the Metaxa and vanilla to the butter mixture and mix on low speed for 1 minute.¼ cup Metaxa, ½ tsp baking soda, 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Remove whisk attachment and replace with flat beater attachment.
- Alternate adding the flour and chopped almonds a little at a time. Mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes until the dough comes together. Finish mixing by hand to ensure dough is fully mixed.650 grams flour, 1 cup blanched almonds
- Preheat the oven to 350℉, and line your baking trays with parchment paper.
- Using roughly 30 grams of dough (about 1 tablespoon or a medium cookie scoop), shape dough into a ball or cresent and place on baking tray.
- Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack for 25 minutes, or until golden.
- Remove from the oven and spray with Metaxa while still warm (Optional, See Note 4). Allow cookies to cool completely before dusting generously with powdered sugar.2 tbsp Metaxa, 1 kg powdered sugar
