How to make Greek traditional Christmas cookies - kourabiedes

Kourabiedes (pronounced kou-ra-bi-ethes, the plural of the word kou-ra-bi-es)are Greek traditional Christmas cookies coated with powdered sugar. Along with melomacarona (honey cookies) they are a must in every Greek home during the holiday season. They are easy to make, delicious and very festive!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 cup (225g or 8oz) butter
• 1 cup cooking fat
• 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups roasted almonds, coarsely chopped
• 4-5 cups all-purpose flour
• sifted powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a mixer bowl, beat the softened butter and cooking fat with the powdered sugar until it is white and creamy.

3. Add 2 cups flour, the vanilla extract and the almonds.
   Remove from beater and gradually add in as much flour as needed to make a soft dough that doesn't stick to your hands. Knead well.

4. Use a star-shaped cookie cutter for Christmas (or any other desired shape)and place on ungreased cookie sheets 1 inch apart. Makes 50-60 cookies.

5. Bake for about 30 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool and sift plenty of powdered sugar over the cookies. Place them in a festive platter, forming a Christmas tree. They can also be stored in a cookie jar for about a month.

Tips & Warnings

• Instead of star-shaped, you can shape the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Then stud each ball with 1 whole clove.
• Another traditional shape is the crescent.
• Do not knead them too much because they will not turn out light and fluffy.