Kourabiedes (Greek Christmas Cookies)

5 from 3 votes

Kourabiedes. This Greek Christmas cookie has a sweet almond flavour with a delicate meltaway texture. You'll LOVE this easy, one-bowl recipe.

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Greek

Keyword: Kourabiedes

Servings: cookies

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Toast almonds for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown; set aside to cool. Finely chop (or process them in a blender or food processor).
Use low speed to stir together flour, ½ cup of the confectioners’ sugar, and the salt in bowl of electric mixer.
Add the butter and almond extract. Beat on low speed until the flour is moistened, then increase to medium-low and beat until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add finely-chopped almonds and beat to combine.
Remove bowl from the stand mixer and knead the dough together into a cohesive ball. Scoop dough into tablespoon-sized balls. Roll each dough ball between your palms to form a log 2 ½” long then fold it slightly into a crescent shape.
Place cookies on parchment lined baking sheets about 1” apart. Bake for 10 minutes.
Let the cookies cool 5 minutes on the pan then toss them in remaining confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl. Transfer to a wire rack. Once kourabiedes are cooled completely, dust them one more time with more sugar.

The butter should be a bit softer than you’d usually have it for a regular cookie recipe. See this article on softening butter quickly: https://foodess.com/article/how-to-quickly-bring-ingredients-to-room-temperature/
1 tablespoon cookie dough balls should weigh around 0.66 oz if you want to be precise with your cookie sizes.
Toasting sliced almonds and chopping them yourself takes the flavor of these cookies to another level. Even though it's an extra step (vs. using ground almonds), the taste payoff is worth it 100%.
These are freezer friendly and can be made in advance. Freeze in a single layer before packing between sheets of parchment paper in an airtight container. Dust with sugar again just before serving.
If the dough feels crumbly at first, that's okay! As the butter melts, the moisture is released and the cookies are melt-in-your-melt soft.
Substitute sliced almonds for ¾ cup ground almonds/almond flour
It's normal that the powdered sugar melts away a bit with the first dusting. This creates a sticky surface for the final dusting to cling to.
There is no egg in this recipe, which is why the dough feels a bit crumbly but this is what gives the cookies their heavenly melting texture once baked.