Kourambiedes — crescent-shaped or round Greek Christmas butter cookies buried in icing sugar — are one of the most beloved seasonal baked goods of the Greek calendar, made from the day after Christmas Eve through the New Year period and consumed at every holiday gathering. The preparation is simple: butter beaten until extremely light, combined with toasted almonds, a small amount of flour, and sometimes rose water or ouzo, shaped into crescents or balls, baked at moderate heat until set (not coloured), and buried in icing sugar while still warm. The result should be crumbly rather than crisp — the characteristic 'melt in the mouth' quality of kourambiedes comes from an extremely high butter ratio and the minimum possible flour. The icing sugar coating is so generous that the cookies must be shaken to reveal their shape; the sugar is an integral textural and visual element, not a garnish.
‹Swipe for the next dish›
IThe Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
200g
unsalted butter
room temperature
Your own market
80g
icing sugar
Your own market
1
large egg yolk
Your own market
1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
Your own market
2 tablespoons
orange liqueur or ouzo
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
200g
all-purpose flour
Your own market
60g
roasted unsalted peanuts
finely ground
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1
whole clove per cookie
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Coating: 80g icing sugar for dusting
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
II
The Method
1
Cream butter and icing sugar together in bowl using electric mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes; scrape bowl and beater.
2
Beat in egg yolk and vanilla extract until fully incorporated; add orange liqueur and beat 1 minute until combined.
3
Whisk flour and salt in separate bowl; add ground peanuts and mix thoroughly with fork.
4
Fold flour mixture into wet ingredients in three additions using rubber spatula until just combined; dough should be soft and slightly sticky but holdable.
5
Preheat oven to 160°C and line large baking tray with parchment paper.
6
Roll dough into 24 balls approximately 18g each; place on prepared tray spaced 3cm apart, press one whole clove firmly into top of each ball, and bake 20 minutes until pale golden and just set.
7
Cool on baking tray for 5 minutes; transfer to wire rack and cool completely, approximately 30 minutes.
8
Place icing sugar in shallow bowl and gently roll cooled cookies through sugar until lightly coated; store in airtight container.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. Butter pale and fluffy after beating; warm cookie surface tacky enough to grip icing sugar without sliding.
◇Where it lives or dies. Bake until just set, not coloured — any browning means the butter has begun to oxidize and the flavour changes irrevocably.
VII
Origin & Lineage
Greece and Cyprus; kourambiedes documented from Byzantine times; similar cookies appear across the Middle East and North Africa (Persian nan-e nokhodchi, Moroccan ghriba) suggesting a shared ancient origin.