Kourambiedes (a Greek Christmas Cookie)

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups butter, at room temperature or 450 g butter
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 -4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups almonds, chopped and roasted
• rose water or orange flower water (available in many ethnic groceries) or ouzo
• extra icing sugar, for rolling the cookies in

Recipe

• 1 cream the butter and sugar in a mixer for 15 minutes, until it begins to turn . mix in the baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• 2 add the egg yolks, the brandy, vanilla extract, and gradually add the flour, until you have a dough that is neither too soft nor too firm (you may need to add slightly more than the amount i've written); stir in the almonds.
• 3 let the dough stand for an hour at room temperature, covered with a clean dish towel.
• 4 next, with small amounts (about 1 1/2 teaspoons of dough), shape small rounds by gently rolling the dough around between the palms of your hands.
• 5 arrange the round cookies on a buttered pan and flatten ever so slightly on top with your hand.
• 6 bake at 350f for 15-20 minutes.
• 7 immediately upon removing the kourambiedes from the oven, sprinkle them with rose water (or orange water or ouzo. i do this by putting a small amount of the liquid in a bowl, wetting my fingertips, and shaking the droplets over the hot cookies a few times. the scented water or ouzo gives the cookies a very delicate fragrance).
• 8 roll the hot cookies in icing sugar to cover and let cool.
• 9 when cool, arrange on a pretty holiday platter, sieving more icing sugar between the cookie layers to give a snowdrift effect.