Elaina Chintakis shares her recipe for Kourabiedes with Almond cookies for Seacrest Country Day School‘s cookie exchange.
“They say if you marry a Greek man, you become Greek,” jokes Elaina Chintakis, who, with long dark brown hair and Italian roots, could easily fool anyone. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding is the story of my life.” This year Chintakis is making almond-accented kourabiedes, one of the first Greek cookies she learned to bake. Chintakis and her husband, Nick, joined the Seacrest community right around the launch of the cookie-swap fundraiser. It was the first school they toured and the last. Over the years, she’s been on the hosting committee and invited other friends to attend the event, many of whom are now devotees.
You can buy clarified butter at the store or do the process yourself at home.
Kourabiedes with Almonds
Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted soft butter, clarified
- 1 cup shortening
- 3 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4-5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup blanched almonds, coarsely chopped and roasted
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
- Rose water (optional), for spraying
Method:
- Cream butter, shortening and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and stop beating.
- Fold in 2 cups of flour, adding a little at a time and blending lightly by hand. Then fold in the almonds and knead lightly, adding more flour until the dough is light and does not stick to the finger. Avoid overworking the dough.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape spoonfuls of dough into rounds or crescents and place on a cookie sheet (makes approximately 48 cookies).
- Bake 20 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and transfer to a grease-proof paper. Once cooled, liberally dust with confectioners sugar, then sprinkle with rosewater (optional).
- Store in a cookie tin; they will keep well for up to one month.
Cookie photography by Vanessa Rogers
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