Kourampiedes, Greek Christmas butter cookies Together with melomakarona, kourampiedes are the most popular Christmas delicacy in Greece. These sweet and small butter cookies with rose water and the aroma of melted butter will definitely set you on festive mood. The recipe is simpler than melomakarona, and everyone can prepare kourampiedes, but no one can resist eating them.
Ingredients 250g. cow milk butter 100g. sugar 100g. almonds 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 tbsps. ouzo 1 tbsp. rose water 500g. flour 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 kg. icing sugar for powdering
Instructions 1. Preheat the oven at 200 C. Place the almonds whole or roughly chopped, depending on whether you want the cookies to have whole or chopped almonds inside, on a baking tray, and bake them for 7 minutes. Be careful not to burn them. 2. Mix the butter with the icing sugar for 20 minutes, using an electric mixer until the butter is creamy like whipped cream. In this step, it is very important to remember that the butter should be at room temperature. 3. Add the vanilla extract, the rose water, the ouzo and the baked almonds and blend. 4. In another bowl, blend the flour with the baking powder. Gradually, add this mixture in the butter mixture (steps 2 and 3) while you use the mixer. 5. When the ingredients are combined, work the mixture with your hands until the dough is soft. 6. Form the dough into small balls, and place them on a baking tray. 7. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 C. until the kourampiedes have a faint golden tint. Be careful not to burn them. After the baking, leave them aside to cool down. 8. Dip the kourampiedes in the sugar, rolling them around so that the sugar sticks on all sides.