Ingredients:

  • 900 g all-purpose flour
  • 500 g butter, sheep butter
  • 220 g icing sugar
  • 2 sticks vanilla powder
  • 1 teaspoon bitter almond liqueur or 1 teaspoon cognac
  • 200 g almond slivers, blanched slivered, toasted
  • 1 teaspoon rosewater

To serve

  • 300 g icing sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla powder

“This is a delicious, melt in your mouth, traditional Greek sweet called “Kourabiedes”. Sweet and crumbly, with crunchy toasted almonds and they look so Christmassy!!”

Method

  • Remove the butter from the refrigerator about 2-3 hours before using, so that it can soften at room temperature.
  • Preheat the oven to 180* C (350*F) Fan.
  • In the mixer using the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 5-6 minutes on high speed until it turns white. Add the icing sugar and vanilla. Continue beating for another 5-7 minutes. As soon as the sugar is added, the volume of the butter may lessen but it will rise again. It will be ready when it looks like whipped cream.
  • Remove the mixing bowl and add the flour in batches. Gently fold in with a spatula and add then add the almonds.
  • The mixture should be soft but not that soft that it will stick to your hands.
  • Mold into balls the size of walnuts (25 g). Place them in rows, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make a small indentation on top of every little ball of dough with your finger. This way it will it can hold on to more icing sugar.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes, until they turn light golden.
  • Remove from oven. Carefully move them from the baking sheet and place them on to a wire rack to cool. They are very soft and crumbly when hot.
  • When cool, spray them with some rose water.
  • Put some icing sugar in a sieve and dust.