KOURABIEDES : Greek Almond Cookies
KOURABIEDES – GREEK ALMOND COOKIES – VERSIONS 1 and 2
On holiday in Greece, you will notice these Kourabiedes – greek almond cookies in all the bakeries. Traditionally these greek almond cookies were served at Christmas but that’s alright, I won’t hold that against anyone! I mean these should be eaten all the time, I know I couldn’t wait a whole year to eat them, that is just torture. Though I think they are more readily available these days, just like a lot of other foods.
These Greek almond cookies take me back to a time when as a young girl we would relish in the taste of eating these greek almond cookies, they were a sugar overload but oh so good. From the drenching of sifted icing sugar over the biscuits to the crumbly melt in your mouth buttery biscuit texture.
It was in Kefalonia for my cousins wedding last year that I vowed on return to Australia and my home that I would make a version of these and any other greek recipe into a version that I could eat. After all sitting there watching my cousins enjoying their food and me just feeling miserable and wanting to cry because I was missing out on so much, was not my idea of fun.
I have a love affair with food, always have. For me cooking is a way I express my love, so don’t complain when I tell you to eat, you know I’m really saying I love you. And what better way to express that love than in sharing a recipe. So here I am giving you a version that is wheat, dairy, refined sugar and gluten free.
If you are intolerant to eggs or vegan, there are simple substitutions for you too. So these greek almond cookies are suitable for everyone and so easy to make. This recipe is very crumbly and therefore best kept in the fridge until ready to eat. Need a shelf stable recipe then version 2 is for youSo what are you waiting for? Turn on your oven and get baking. Kali órexi !
Kourabiedes – Greek Almond Cookies – Version 1
INGREDIENTS
1 cup Coconut Oil, cold
1/4 cup Raw Caster Sugar
1 Egg Yolk or 1 teaspoon Bobs Red Mill Egg replacer Powder
mixed with 1 tablespoon Water
1 teaspoon Almond Extract
1/2 cup Flaked almonds, toasted
1 cup Tapioca Flour (starch)
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
2 1/4 cups Almond Flour ( blanched almond meal)
TOPPING
1/2 cup Raw Sugar, ground into a powder
1/4 cup Tapioca flour (starch)
METHOD – TOPPING
Sift together the ground raw sugar and the tapioca and mix to combine. set aside.
NOTE- I used a grinder attachment for my Bamix hand held mixer to grind the sugar down to a powder. You could probably do this with a Thermomix or a spice grinder. This is a better substitute for refined icing sugar, tastes great with using a smaller amount of sugar.
METHOD – BISCUITS
Preheat oven to 190° celsius (170 ° celsius fan forced).
In the bowl of electric mixer add coconut oil and sugar and beat for 3 minutes, stopping and scraping down sides of the bowl.
Add egg yolk or egg replacement and almond extract and continue to beat for a further 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl.
Add toasted almonds, tapioca and baking powder and while beating slowly add in the almond flour a half cup at a time finishing with the quarter cup. Remove bowl from mixer once it has formed into a ball.
Divide the dough into 30 balls, roughly the size of a walnut ( approximately 1 tablespoon). Roll each of the balls into a sausage approximately 5 cm long. Put the sausage shaped dough onto a baking paper lined biscuit tray, leaving some room between each for the biscuit to spread.
Press 2 fingers onto each sausage to form a flattened shape, top each biscuit with a little extra flaked almonds.
Put tray in oven and bake for approximately 15 – 20 minutes or until just turning a light golden colour. Remove tray from oven and cool for 15 minutes.
Carefully lift the biscuits as they are crumbly and set onto a cake cooling rack. Sprinkle a little of the topping mixture and leave to cool completely.
TO STORE
Sprinkle a little topping mixture into base of a plastic airtight container. Arrange biscuits in container and sprinkle a little extra topping mixture on top.
These biscuits will keep for at least 3-4 weeks if kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They probably last longer if they didn’t all get eaten. These are very short and by that I mean they literally melt in your mouth. If you need am recipe that will keep in a cupboard and is more shelf stable then try version 2 below. Equally as delicious just not so fragile
Makes 30 Biscuits
KOURABIEDES – GREEK ALMOND COOKIES – VERSION 2
We as a family love version 1 of these Kourabiedes – Greek almond cookies but the only problem I found is that they crumble easily even though according to my brother Mathew they are the best Kourabiedes he has eaten. But as for me, I needed to create something that didn’t need to be stored in the refrigerator and that would travel well and this is where version 2 comes in.
I have teased long enough and have even posted some interstate to William at The Grecian Purveyor in New South Wales. So now it is time to share them with you and yes these travel well too. Hope you will enjoy these as much if not more than version 1.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup Coconut Oil, solid
1/3 cup Raw Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Almond Extract
1/2 cup Flaked almonds, toasted
2 cups Tapioca Flour (starch)
1 teaspoon Basking Powder
2 – 2 ½ Cups Almond Flour (blanched)
extra flaked almonds for pressing into top of biscuits
*Use topping as for recipe version 1
METHOD
Preheat oven to 190° C (170°C fan forced)
Put coconut oil and sugar into mixer bowl and beat until softened and combined (2-3 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
Into the bowl add almond extract, flaked almonds, tapioca and baking powder and stir to combine. Then add 2 cups almond flour and combine to form a softish dough. If it feels sticky add the other ½ cup of almond flour.
Using 1/8 cup of dough (roughly the size of a walnut) roll into a ball then a sausage about 5 cm long continuing until all biscuits are done.
On a chopping board, chop ½ cup of flaked almonds roughly, not too fine. Dip biscuit into flaked almonds flattening with palm to 10 mm thick or thereabouts.
Put nut side up onto a baking paper lined tray, press 2 fingers into biscuit to give it a shape (optional). Continue with all biscuits.
Put tray into oven and bake for 12-15 minutes.
Once the cookies are pale golden remove tray from oven and cool for about 3-4 minutes.
Dip into topping mixture (recipe version 1) and place on tray to cool completely. Put biscuits into airtight container and store in cupboard/ pantry.
Makes approximately 34 biscuits