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

Notes

¹ Almonds: I use blanched almonds and lightly roast them myself. I haven't tested the recipe with any other type of almonds. This all came down to optics as I wanted the almonds to belnd into the dough.

² European-Style Butter: Using quality, European-style butter will make a difference in the end result as it has a higher milk fat content than traditional butter, resulting in a creamier texture and richer flavor.

³ 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.

⁴ Spraying the Cookies: This is an optional step but adds a depth of flavor to the kourabiedes.

Nutrition