Kourabiedes

Opens photo in lightbox. Hit Escape or X to exit lightbox. Kourabiedes

This Greek cookie is also known as Almond Crescents.

Makes about 30

1/2 cup ground almonds
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon brandy
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
whole cloves
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Spread almonds in a shallow pan and toast in oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Decrease oven temperature to 325F. Let almonds cool completely.

In large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add egg yolk and the 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, mixing well. Stir in brandy and almonds. In another bowl, stir together flour and
baking powder. Gradually add to butter mixture, blending thoroughly. Pinch off dough in 1-inch balls and roll each into a 3-inch rope. Place ropes about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Shape into crescents. Put a whole clove in each cookie. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly golden.

Let cookies cool for 5 minutes. Sift about half the 2 cups powdered sugar over a sheet of waxed paper. Transfer the cookies to the waxed paper and then sift the rest of the powdered sugar on top of them, so that they are well covered with powdered sugar. Let stand until cool. Store airtight. Remove clove from cookie before eating it.

Note: Photo by DCGreekChurch under Creative Commons license.


Reviews of Kourabiedes:

1-3 of 3 reviews  

  A cookie baker  Oct 24, 2008
Would make this again.
tastes fantastic five stars

   Nov 29, 2007
Would not make this again.
Yikes. I have been making these cookies for years and misplaced the recipe with the exact measurements, so I was trying some new ones.

This variation is almost salty and at the very least bland...bleh! I kept thinking I had gotten the ingredients wrong, so I made them again. Same taste. The best thing about it was the texture, very tender, so that was a nice surprise.

Otherwise, no, I wouldn't recommend this recipe. Sorry. one star

  A cookie baker in New Zealand  Dec 8, 2002
Would make this again.
I've made these two years in a row and my Greek boyfriend says they were "almost as good" as his mother's. High praise indeed! I've found that making them about half the size suggested (ie, a 1 and 1/2 inch rope in a crescent shape) makes them handy for fingerfood at parties. Just keep an eye on them when baking because they don't take too long to go "lightly golden". four stars

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