These gluten free Greek Kourabiedes cookies are a classic Greek Christmas cookie that are known for their buttery, melt-in-your mouth texture, and sweet almond flavor. Covered in powdered sugar, these pillowy cookies are sure to become a quick holiday favorite.
Nothing says Christmas like Christmas cookies, and every culture and country around the world that celebrates Christmas seems to agree since everyone seems to have their own unique Christmas cookies.
What I love so much about cookies is that they are the universally enjoyed and accepted sweet treat. While some people may scoff at cake or custard, I have never met a single person who said “I just don’t like cookies”.
Christmas cookies also tend to be the dessert that most kids grow up baking with their parents and grandparents. They are often a child’s first exposure to the wonderful world of baking and come with all those special memories one of spending time with family around the holidays.
In Greece, these Kourabiedes butter cookies are a Christmas favorite and can be found in bakeries and homes throughout the holiday season. While there are many different ways to make these buttery cookies, most people roll them into round circles or a crescent moon shape and use almonds to give them that special flavor. Rumor has it that the best Kourabiedes in all of Greece can be found in a little town in Northern Greece called Kavala that uses a buffalo butter to give the cookies their buttery flavor.
Since almonds were already used in the base for the recipe I knew that making a gluten free version of these Kourabiedes cookies would be pretty easy. I do want to make sure that I point out, though, that I never make a traditional recipe gluten free because I think that there is anything wrong with flour, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Instead I opt to try and recreate traditional recipes into equally delicious gluten free varieties so that people like me with celiac disease can enjoy some of these special recipes from around the world.
Gluten Free Greek Kourabiedes (Greek Christmas Butter Cookies)
makes ~ 20 to 25 cookies
Ingredients
-
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
-
3/4 cup confectioners sugar (save 1/2 cup for topping)
-
1 egg
-
1.5 cups almond flour
-
3/4 cup gluten free flour (I used bobs red mill)
-
1 tsp vanilla extract
-
1.5 tsp almond extract
-
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
-
1/2 tsp baking powder
-
1/8 tsp salt
Directions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
-
In a high speed mixer cream butter and 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
-
Add egg and beat into creamed butter and sugar
-
Next, add almond flour, gluten free flour, vanilla extract, almond extract, brandy (opt), baking powder, salt and mix until a soft dough forms.
-
Once a dough forms, begin to roll dough into approximately 20-25 small balls or crescents and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
-
Bake in oven for 18-20 minutes or until cooked through.
-
Allow the cookies to cool slightly before rolling in powdered sugar.
-
Stack cookies on a plate and add an additional sprinkling of powdered sugar before serving.
-
Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
