RECIPE: Kourabiedes – Greek Butter Biscuits

Thanks to Aaron Vallance for his photos of  the Greek Butter Biscuits made during the lockdown

At Cookery School we teach to empower so that everyone has the confidence to replicate recipes again and again at home. We also teach by principle – if you can understand how to make biscuits, you can make a whole range of different biscuits using the same principle.

During our time at home, in isolation, these principles have never been more pertinent, when we all need to cook a lot more. Big thanks to Aaron Vallance who re-created the biscuits he made on our Mediterranean baking course a few years ago.  A number of people asked for the recipe, so we are sharing for more to bake. We hope your experience of cooking during Covid-19 is a positive one, with new recipes learnt and delicious dishes enjoyed.

Kourabiedes – Greek Butter Biscuits

Ingredients

½ lb / 250 gm butter
¼ lb / 125 gm icing sugar
½ lb / 250 gm flour
1 small liqueur glass cognac (if desired)
an egg yolk is sometimes added to bind the dough well
4 doz blanched whole almonds or cloves
rosewater
icing sugar for sprinkling

METHOD

1. Cream the butter.

2. Add the icing sugar and cream until white.

3. Then add the ground cinnamon to the mixture and cognac if desired.

4. Slowly add the flour and mix until a dough is formed.

5. Leave the mixture to stand for about fifteen minutes.

6. With lightly oiled hands, pinch off a piece of dough the size of a walnut and roll into a ball. Flatten slightly and place on lightly oiled baking tray.

7. Repeat this process until all the dough is used up. Make sure there is sufficient space between each biscuit on the tray to allow for expansion during baking.

8. Press a blanched almond into the top of each of the biscuits and sprinkle the top of each with icing sugar. (Sometimes a clove is put into the middle of each biscuit).

9. Bake in oven 175ºC for 15 to 20 minutes or until very light golden colour.

10. Remove from baking tin and spray with rosewater and then cover with icing sugar.

11. Then place biscuits in a tin with a layer of icing sugar in it. Keep covering biscuits with icing sugar until all are covered.

12. These biscuits will keep well for some weeks in an airtight container.

Rosalind’s tips

You can also make these with pecans or walnuts and you can also omit the rosewater.

Cooking during Covid-19
We have a wealth of experience to share in these unprecedented times if you need help cooking during Coronavirus. We’ll be giving you tips and recipes on using store cupboard ingredients, preserving, pickling & above all making the most of your valuable ingredients & not wasting food. PLEASE let us have YOUR questions and SHARE on Facebook or Instagram what you’ve been cooking & our founder Rosalind will be able to get back to you with answers so we can all learn from each other.

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Recipes