These sweet little Greek honey cookies (melomakarona) are super quick to bake, so much fun to make and highly addictive! My traditional Greek melomakarona recipe makes 50 of these delicious, festive Greek Christmas cookies, plenty for everyone to try.

So go ahead, read on to discover how to make my traditional Melomakarona to perfection with my tips and tricks, step by step photos, my chocolate variation, how to store and serve them and of course the recipe!

Melomakarona recipe – A delicious Greek Christmas tradition

As with most holidays in Greece, Greek Christmas also revolves around food! This means that these are these festive days of the year to make all these traditional Greek recipes, like kourabiedes (almond and butter biscuits), vasilopita (Greek New Years cake), diples (Greek Christmas fried pastry with honey), Christopsomo (Christmas Bread with walnuts) and of course these amazing sweet little honey cookies, the traditional Greek melomakarona!

Melomakarona are my absolute favourite Greek Christmas cookies. And how couldn’t they be? These cookies are incredibly soft, moist, flavorsome, and soaked in a delicious honey syrup. Once baked, the intense aromas of the cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg spread throughout the house and bring back plenty of fond childhood memories!

What does “melomakarono” mean?

Melomakarona (μελομακάρονα) are traditional Greek Christmas cookies, that are served during Christmas time throughout Greece. The word “melomakarona” is a combination of the two words “meli”, which means honey and “makarona”. “Makarona” comes from the ancient word “makaria” and means blessed.

In the olden days, Melomakarona used to be served on the lead up to Christmas as a Lenten “kerasma” (treat) to enjoy during fasting. Since they have no egg or dairy, Melomakarona are vegan and perfect if you are fasting or are on a vegan diet!

Finally, in some regions of Greece “melomakarona” are also called “finikia”. The traditional recipe for melomakarona and finikia is pretty much the same, with the only difference that finikia are deep fried instead of baked.

How to make the best Greek Christmas honey cookies / Melomakarona?

Preparing the Melomakarona dough

When preparing the Melomakarona dough, it is important not to overwork it. If you mix the dough for too long it will cause the oil to separate from the mixture and result in a cookie that has a very oily taste. Just knead lightly with your hands or a spoon until the flour has incorporated and the dough is really soft.

Also always make and bake your Melomakarona on the same day. If you store the dough in the fridge to bake later, the oil will also separate from the mixture. So set aside about 1 hour, get your melomakarona ingredients ready and let’s bake!

Finally, don’t add any more flour than this melomakarona recipe calls for, as this will make the cookies tough. If the dough is too sticky let it rest for a few minutes and try handling it again. If it is still too sticky, then add a little bit of extra flour. Take a look at my picture below, which shows what the dough texture should be.

Dunking your Melomakarona in the syrup

The fragrant syrup is the essence of Melomakarona. To make sure your Melomakarona soak the syrup all the way in, you need to dunk the piping hot Melomakarona, straight from the oven in a cold or room temperature syrup. This will help the cookies to absorb the syrup and become moist on the inside.

So always start by making your syrup first. When the syrup is ready, take it off the hob and let it cool down. Then start making your Melomakarona dough. That way it will have cooled down by the time your first batch of Melomakarona is ready.

If you are in a hurry, you can put the syrup in the fridge to cool down, while you are preparing the dough for the melomakarona. Just make sure you place your syrup pot on an oven mitt so your fridge shelves don’t crack!

Finally, you’ll need to soak your melomakarona in the syrup for long enough for the syrup to soak through. If you love your Melomakarona juicy and moist, let them soak up a bit more syrup up – 20 seconds in the syrup should do it! To speed up the dunking, bake them in batches so when one cooks the other is dunked in the honey syrup.

Semolina – the secret ingredient to juicier Melomakarona

Have you ever wondered why some Melomakarona are juicier while others taste more like biscuits? It’s because the juicier Melomakarona have some fine semolina in the dough!

Semolina is made from ground up durum wheat and has a very high water absorption ratio. No wonder it is used to make pasta, couscous as well as the traditional Greek halva (semolina cake).

So adding some semolina to the melomakarona mixture will ensure that the dough is more absorbent and will soak up and retain a lot more of the honey syrup. This will make your melomakarona deliciously soft on the inside while also slightly crunchy on the outside!

Melomakarona variations

My favourite variation to the traditional Melomakarona, are Melomakarona covered in chocolate! The bitterness of the chocolate perfectly complements the sweetness of the Melomakarona and makes them even more irresistible! So, if you have a knack for chocolate these are made for you!

Keeping your Melomakarona fresh – How long will they keep?

If want to bake a large batch of Melomakarona or want to have some around for your guests this holiday season you are in luck!

As the honey in the syrup has antimicrobial properties, melomakarona will keep fresh for around 2-3 weeks if stored properly. Just make sure you store them in an airtight container and at room temperature.

So go ahead, try out my traditional Greek melomakarona recipe together with a cup of Greek coffee and let the smell of freshly baked cookies, orange, clove, and cinnamon remind you it’s Christmas! Enjoy!

Melomakarona recipe (Greek Christmas Honey Cookies)

(1,124 votes, average: 4.85 out of 5)
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• Author: Eli K. Giannopoulos
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 50 pieces
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: Greek

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Description

A traditional melomakarona recipe! These Greek Christmas honey cookies (melomakarona) are super quick to bake, so much fun to make and highly addictive!

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Ingredients

For the melomakarona

• 150g fine semolina (5.3 ounces, half a cup)
• 500g flour (soft) (17.6 ounces, 4 cups)
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 100g orange juice (3.5 ounces, 1/3 cups)
• 3 tbsps cognac
• 100g sugar (3.5 ounces, 1/3 cups)
• 1 flat tbsp powdered cinnamon
• 1/3 tsp nutmeg (powder)
• 1/3 tsp clove (powder)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tbsp baking soda
• 90g water (3.2 ounces, 1/3 cups)
• 125g olive oil (4.4 ounces, 1/2 cups)
• 125g vegetable/sunflower oil (4.4 ounces, 1/2 cups)
• 50g honey (1.8 ounces, 3 tbsp)
• zest of 2 oranges

For the syrup

• 300g water (10 ounces, 1 1/4 cups)
• 600g sugar (20 ounces, 2 3/4 cups)
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 orange, cut in half
• 200g honey (7 ounces, 10 tbsp)

To garnish

• 200g chopped walnuts (7 ounces, 1 2/3 cups)
• powdered cinnamon (optional)
• powdered clove (optional)

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Instructions

1. To prepare this melomakarona recipe start by making the syrup first. In a pot add all the ingredients for the syrup, besides the honey and bring to the boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and remove from the stove. Stir in the honey and set aside to cool completely.
2. Prepare the dough for the melomakarona. In a bowl add the semolina, flour and baking powder and mix with a whisk to combine.
3. In another large bowl add the orange juice, the cognac, the sugar and spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, vanilla) and mix. Add the baking soda and whisk immediately for 5-10 seconds until the ingredients combine and the baking soda dissolves and starts to foam. Pour in the bowl the water, the oil, the orange zest and honey and whisk to combine.
4. Now it’s time to combine the two mixtures. Add the mixed flour, semolina and baking powder (from step 2) in the bowl with the rest of the ingredients from step 3 and start kneading the dough for the melomakarona. Knead the dough for the melomakarona using your hands, until the ingredients combine and the dough is smooth and soft and slightly sticky. Be careful not to overwork the dough as they will become tough.
5. Preheat the oven at 180C / 356F. Layer the bottom of 4 large baking trays with parchment paper and start shaping the melomakarona. Pinch a portion of dough about the size of a walnut – 30g / 1oz and shape with your palms into a smooth oblong shape, like a small egg. Place on the baking tray, push lightly the top with a fork and pierce three times on top about half way through the dough. Continue with the rest of the dough.
6. Depending on how large on oven you have when your first two trays are ready you can start baking them. Place the baking trays with the melomakarona in the oven and bake for approx. 15-20 minutes, until the melomakarona are lightly and evenly browned and cooked through. If you’ve made them bigger, you’ll need to bump up the cooking time!!
7. When the melomakarona come out of the oven, dip them immediately in the cold syrup, flipping them with a slotted spoon to absorb the syrup for approx. 10-20 seconds, depending on how syrupy you like them. Remove the cookies using a slotted spoon, place on a platter and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
8. While you are dipping your first couple of tray in the syrup add the next two in the oven to bake. Don’t forget to set your timer!!
9. Store the melomakarona at room temperature in an airtight container. They will keep for all your Christmas Holidays!

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 piece
• Calories: 195kcal
• Sugar: 20.4g
• Sodium: 39.4mg
• Fat: 7.6g
• Saturated Fat: 2.6g
• Unsaturated Fat: 4.5g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 31.2g
• Fiber: 0.9g
• Protein: 2.1g
• Cholesterol: 0m

Keywords: Melomakarona, Greek Christmas cookies, Greek honey cookies, Finikia

Recipe image gallery:

The post Melomakarona recipe (Greek Christmas Honey Cookies) appeared first on My Greek Dish.

This is my family’s Vasilopita recipe with which we welcome the New Year together with friends and loved ones for over 30 years. So read on to discover how to make my traditional Greek New Years cake to perfection with my tips and tricks, step by step photos, my tips on how to decorate it, how to store it and of course the recipe! 

The tradition of Vasilopita cake (Greek new years cake)

Vasilopita is the traditional Greek cake or bread served at midnight on New Year’s Eve to celebrate the life of Saint Basil. After baking the Vasilopita cake, a coin is inserted through the base. When cut, the person who finds the coin is said to be granted luck for the rest of the year!

Vasilopita can be made of a variety of doughs, depending on the region, with almost every family having their own unique recipe. There are two main variations of Vasilopita – the cake version, which is this recipe here and the tsoureki vasilopita version, which is the same as an easter Tsoureki and my Tsoureki in a bread machine but rather shaped in a tin! 

In most Greek households, the cake is served right after midnight on New Year’s Day, while some also serve it later in the day after the traditional New Year meal and together with some Melomakarona and kourabiedes!

Finally, Vasilopita is often traditionally cut and served in businesses and associations, usually during the first week of the year as a token to welcome the new year with health and prosperity. And of course, the member or employee that finds the coin is given money or a special gift!

What you’ll need to make Vasilopita cake the traditional way

As my Vasilopita recipe resembles a cake, you’ll notice a lot of the ingredients are things that you’ll already have in your cupboard. The cake basics of butter, sugar and eggs together with self-raising flour and vanilla are all there! 

However there are two secret ingredients to my Vasilopita recipe: Oranges and Greek Yoghurt! The flavour of my Greek new Year cake comes from the oranges and you’ll want both orange juice and zest to give it that tangy, citrus flavour that will amaze you.

I also add traditional Greek Yoghurt which adds texture to the cake, making it soft, delicate and fluffy, in the same way as you’ll often see in muffin recipes and of course my traditional greek yoghurt cake soaked in syrup! 

Finally, I love decorating my traditional Greek Vasilopita with a simple icing sugar glaze made with just three ingredients – icing sugar, either water or milk and a little vanilla extract for some extra flavour.

Traditional Greek New Year’s Cake key preparation steps

Making this traditional Greek New Year’s cake is similar to lots of other cake recipes with just that one special step around the good luck coin. You can break it down into four main steps:

1. Prepare the cake dough
2. Bake the cake
3. Add the New Year coin
4. Finish with the glaze and decorate 

Vasilopita recipe – How to make the perfect Greek New Year’s cake dough!

To make your vasilopita cake dough to perfection you need to make sure your butter-sugar mixture is fluffy and creamy, your egg whites beaten to meringues and the mixtures combined slowly and thoroughly. 

Preparing your Butter-sugar mixture: Before you start preparing your Vasilopita cake recipe, make sure that your butter is at room temperature. This will allow it to fully “break up” when creaming it with the sugar.

It is also very important to mix the butter and sugar thoroughly until the butter-sugar mixture is really fluffy and creamy, almost like whipped cream, and at least until the sugar has fully dissolved. Give this step some extra time and the result will definitely reward you.

Adding your egg yolks to the butter-sugar mixture: To avoid the egg-y smell, which can ruin the flavour of your vasilopita, add the egg yolks to your butter-sugar mixture one at a time. Allow each one to be absorbed into the mixture before adding the next one. This will make sure that the eggs emulsify with the butter instead of simply mixing with each other and not incorporating with it!

Preparing your meringues: I’ve tried many vasilopita recipes where the eggs were added whole to the cake mixture. However, I found that this results in a denser vasilopita dough as there is little “air” in the dough.

So, in my recipe the egg whites are beaten into meringues, until they form soft peaks like the picture above, and then combined with the rest of the cake mix. This is my little secret to a more fluffy and airy vasilopita!

Combining your mixtures: Once you are done making your butter-sugar-egg yolk mixture, mix in your orange juice, vanilla, zest and yoghurt. To keep your Vasilopita fluffy, try to knock out as little of the air contained in the meringues as possible!

So, use a marise spatula to incorporate (fold) the flour and meringue in the cake mix. Just add 1/3rd of the flour and meringue, fold with light circular movements and repeat until done. Make sure you fold with gentle motions, trying not to overwork the dough!

Baking your Vasilopita Cake and adding the coin

There are a couple of things to note when baking your Vasilopita cake. Firstly, it is very important that you do not open the oven under any circumstance before 30 minutes of baking have gone by. If you do, it will cause your Vasilopita to deflate and turn flat.

After the full cooking time has elapsed, use a wooden skewer or a toothpick to check if your Vasilopita is done baking. If the toothpick comes out clean it is ready to go!

Finally, before decorating your cake, don’t forget to add the Vasilopita coin! Grab some aluminium foil, wrap your coin tightly all around and insert it on the top of the cake. Then proceed to flip the cake over so the flat surface is pointing up and no-one can guess where the coin is placed! As a plus, the flat surface will make your decorating a breeze!

How to decorate your Vasilopita (Greek New Years cake)

Decorating your New years cake is a really fun activity and you can get your little helpers to give you a hand while enjoying some family time together! 

Once the Vasilopita is cooked let it cool down completely. If you add your decorations before the cake is cool, they will melt and run off the cake and of course won’t look as nice!

Personally I love to decorate my Vasilopita with a sugar glaze. I make it with some icing sugar, water and a bit of vanilla, but your imagination is the limit! If you do decorate your Vasilopita with sugar glaze just mix up the glaze with a spatula until it is smooth and glossy.

If the glaze feels too solid add some more water in. If it is too runny just add a bit more icing sugar. The idea is to have a wood-glue-like consistency so it doesn’t run off the cake but also is soft and smooth to eat. Once done, pour it onto the cake and spread evenly with your spatula.  

While I love decorating my cake with glaze it isn’t the only option! You can sprinkle some sifted icing sugar on top or even use stencils to create patterns or shapes! You could also decorate it with some melted chocolate, with chocolate sprinkles, nuts or whatever decoration you have in hand and you fancy! 

Finally, it is customary that the year number is written on top of the cake. Keep it simple and use a toothpick carve out the number in your glaze or get creative and use some chocolate drops or some M&M’s to make your year shape!

How long will the cake keep?

If you store vasilopita in an airtight container, it will keep for about a week. You can extend its shelf life by popping it in the fridge, where it will last for about 2 weeks.

If you want it to keep for longer, portion out your vasilopita in slices and store them in an airtight container in the freezer! They will keep for a good 2-3 months, which is excellent if you fancy some great cake with some coffee during the week!

And of course, don’t forget to make your melomakarona, kourabiedes, diples and kariokes (walnut filled chocolate crescents) to complete your Christmas and New Year’s platter!

Finally, to discover more Greek Christmas traditions and customs to celebrate with your loved ones have a look at my article on Greek Christmas traditions and customs.

Vasilopita Cake Recipe (Greek New Year’s cake)

(1,015 votes, average: 4.84 out of 5)
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• Author: Eli K. Giannopoulos
• Prep Time: 45 min
• Cook Time: 60 min
• Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
• Yield: 16 pieces
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: Greek

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Description

A delicious vasilopita recipe (Greek New Years cake) infused with the aromas of oranges and garnished with a thick and glossy vanilla glaze! Vasilopita is a traditional Greek cake served at midnight on New Year’s Eve to celebrate the life of Saint Basil. After baking the cake, a coin is inserted through the base and when cut the person who finds the coin is said to be granted luck for the rest of the year!

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Ingredients

For the cake

• 375g butter (13oz)
• 600g sugar (21oz, 3 cups)
• 6 eggs (divided into yolks and whites)
• a pinch of salt
• zest of 2 oranges
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 200g yogurt, strained (7oz)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 750g self-rising flour, sifted (26.5oz)

For the glaze

• 450g icing sugar (15.8oz, 3 cups)
• 5 tbsps hot water or milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

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Instructions

1. To prepare this vasilopita recipe, start by dividing the eggs into yolks and whites. Place the egg whites in the your mixer bowl and add a pinch of salt. Make sure your egg whites, bowl and whisk attachments are clean and free of any water. Whisk the egg whites until the mixture is very thick and glossy and a long trailing peak forms when the whisk is lifted (meringues). Place the mixture in a bowl and set aside.
2. Clean out your mixer bowl and add the butter and sugar. Using the paddle hook or the creaming attachments whisk for about 20 minutes, until the butter is creamy and fluffy like whipped cream. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, whilst mixing, allowing time for each one to be absorbed, before adding the next. Pour in the orange juice, the vanilla extract, the orange zest, the yogurt and mix to combine.
3. Remove the bowl from your mixer and add 1/3rd of the sifted flour and blend with a spatula. Add 1/3rd of the meringues and blend with light circular movements from the bottom up. Repeat with the rest of the flour and meringue, adding 1/3rd of the flour, mix, add 1/3rd meringue until all your ingredients are combined.
4. To bake the vasilopita, preheat the oven to 200C / 390F using both top and bottom heating elements. Alternatively set to 180C/356F fan.
5. It’s now time to prepare your baking tin. Select a non stick cake tin approx. 30-35cm in diameter (12-14 inch). Butter your vasilopita tin and dust with some flour. Alternatively, line with some parchment paper. Pour in your vasilopita mixture and spread it evenly with your spatula.
6. Place the cake tin in the preheated oven, on the lower third rack, turn the heat down to 175C / 350F or 160C/320F fan and bake for approximately 60 minutes, until nicely coloured and cooked through. Make sure you don’t open the oven in the first 30 minutes of baking as your Vasilopita will collapse! Stick a wooden skewer or toothpick in the middle of the cake to check if your cake is ready. If it comes out clean, then your vasilopita cake is done!
7. Let your vasilopita cake cool down completely and invert the pan on a plate. If its not cold it may break! Using a second plate, invert again so the top of the cake is on top. Wrap a coin with aluminium foil and stick it in the cake. Invert the vasilopita on a serving platter with the bottom of the cake facing upwards. Having a completely flat surface will make your glaze go on so much easier and will be nice and flat.
8. Prepare the glaze for your Greek new year’s cake. In a large bowl add all the ingredients and blend with a spatula until the glaze is smooth and glossy. If needed, add a little bit more hot water. The glaze should have a glue like consistency but be perfectly smooth when blending with the spatula. Top the vasilopita with the glaze and even out with a flat spatula. Don’t forget to carve the number of the year on top of the glaze or use some toasted almonds to shape it! Enjoy!

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 piece
• Calories: 616kcal
• Sugar: 60.9g
• Sodium: 180.8mg
• Fat: 21.9g
• Saturated Fat: 12.8g
• Unsaturated Fat: 7.8g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 97.3g
• Fiber: 1.3g
• Protein: 8.6g
• Cholesterol: 121.8mg

Keywords: Vasilopita, Greek New Year's cake recipe, Saint Basil's cake, Vasilopita coin

Recipe image gallery:

Oh and you can always read this delicious recipe in Greek here Συνταγή για Βασιλόπιτα κέικ.15.8

The post Vasilopita Cake Recipe (Greek New Year’s cake) appeared first on My Greek Dish.

So go ahead, read on to discover how to make this super easy kourabiedes recipe (kourambiethes) to perfection with my tips and tricks, step by step photos, my nutty variations, my tips on how to store and serve them and of course the recipe!

Easiest homemade kourabiedes recipe / Greek Butter cookies

Kourabiedes (kourambiethes) are traditional Greek Christmas almond butter biscuits, packed with the aromas of roasted almonds, fresh butter and rosewater and garnished with luscious layers of icing sugar. They are the ultimate Christmas cookie! Whenever I bake a batch, their incredible aroma spreads through the house and brings back all those wonderful festive memories!

Traditionally, kourambiedes are served during Christmas as part of a Greek Christmas platter, together with melomakarona (Greek Christmas honey cookies), diples  (Greek Christmas fried pastry with honey) and of course, during New Years eve, with a slice of delicious Vasilopita (Greek New Years Cake).

In some Greek households you will also find kourabiedes served during Easter as well as during engagement parties and weddings. For Greeks they are the ultimate kerasma (treat)!

How to make the perfect Kourabiedes?

If you have ever tried making your own homemade kourabiedes before, you must know that it takes some time and effort to succeed. Not anymore! This kourabiedes recipe changes everything.

This kourabiedes recipe is so quick and easy because I use a food processor to mix the ingredients. It cuts preparation time in half without compromising on their delicious texture and taste. Don’t have a food processor?

Don’t worry, you can still follow the same recipe but use a hand mixer to blend the ingredients together. The result? Your Greek almond biscuits are ready to bake in less than 15 minutes and ready to eat in less than 45!

Sourcing the right ingredients for your Kourabiedes

Good quality Kourabiedes need good quality ingredients. Firstly, make sure you use good quality, unsalted, cows milk butter. Kourabiedes are, in effect, an almond shortbread where butter is one of the most important ingredients and provides the “foundation” flavour.

Secondly, try and source some rosewater as it gives Kourabiedes their unique aroma. But rose water is not always as easy to find. Your best bet would be to scour the international food isle at your local supermarket, a Greek deli or just buy it online.

You can find rose water for cooking on Amazon. If you live in the UK, you can find it here, in the US take a look here, in Canada take a look here and for Australia here. Make sure you get the version for cooking. My personal favourite is Cortas rose water!

How to prevent your Kourabiedes from flattening when baking?

One of the difficulties with making Kourabiedes or any other shortbread type cookie is that they tend to spread when baking. This happens because the butter softens before the flour is baked and they lose their structure. So, what can you do to avoid your kourabiedes looking like pancakes?

Firstly, make sure your butter warms up as little as possible. Use it cold, straight out of the fridge, and handle try to handle it as little as possible. Also make sure your toasted nuts have cooled down completely before adding them to the mix. If they are still hot, they will make the butter in your Greek almond biscuits melt! If you notice that the dough is getting warm and is melting in your hands, pop it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes until it has set.

Secondly, give your kourambiedes the right shape. Portion your Greek Christmas cookies in 30-35 grams / 1-1.2oz pieces. Shape them into a small ball using the palm of your hands and then squash them into a cylinder that is equally tall and wide.

Place your Greek almond biscuits on the baking tray and push the top in with your finger to make a little dimple in the middle. This will allow the inside of your kourabiedes to bake while keeping their round shape.

Finally, make sure you have spaced your kourabiedes apart about a couple of fingers width. They will spread a little, so you don’t want them to stick to each other when baking!

Once you have shaped your first tray of kourabiedes pop them in the fridge for 5-10 minutes so the butter has a chance to set. To cut down preparation time, as you layer one tray pop it in the fridge before starting to layer the next. Also take one batch out to bake while the others are in the fridge cooling down.

Baking your kourabiedes

As your Kourabiedes are a rich buttery biscuit it is very easy to overbake them. Since visually they don’t turn deep golden brown, like your usual biscuits, it can be tricky to know when they are fully baked.

To bake your kourambiedes to perfection, you need to leave them in the oven just enough for them to have a pale, faint golden tint and not more. When you take them out of the oven your kourabiedes will not feel firm as the butter is still hot.  

Leave your Greek almond biscuits on the baking tray for a few minutes to cool down, then lift them and place them on a cake rack to fully cool down. Be careful not to handle them when still hot as they will crumble!

Kourabiedes variations

There are many variations to the traditional Kourabiedes recipe that you can try. You can play around with what nuts and what butter you use, make Kourabiethes with ouzo or even cover them in chocolate!

Kourabiedes made with pistachios: While traditionally Kourabiedes biscuits use almonds for their nutty flavour, another popular variation is made with pistachios. Kourambiedes pair incredibly well with the zest of an orange and the sprinkled rose water!

Or alternatively skip the rose water and pair the pistachios with the zest of one lemon and a couple of table spoons of cognac! If you want to try pistachios, replace all the almonds in my recipe below with an equal amount of ground pistachios.

Kourabiedes with sheep’s milk butter: Admittedly, it is very rare to find sheep’s milk butter outside Greece, but if you can get your hands on some you won’t regret it! If you like your kourabiedes tasting stronger and fuller simply substitute the cows milk butter in my recipe below with sheep’s butter.

Kourabiedes with chocolate: Another very popular variation to the traditional Kourabiedes recipe is to cover them in chocolate! If you’re a chocolate lover this variation together with my chocolate covered melomakarona is for you!

To make Kourabiedes with chocolate use the same recipe as below, but don’t sprinkle them with the rose water and the powdered sugar. Melt around 400g/14oz of dark chocolate in the microwave, stir in one tablespoon of coconut butter and dip your kourabiedes in the chocolate sauce.  Sprinkle with some powdered almonds or pistachios and let them cool on a cake rack.

How to store your kourabiedes

I still remember when my grandmother used to bake kourabiedes for us every Christmas. She used to make a huge batch which, even after our constant nibbling, would stay fresh for the whole of the Christmas holiday.

Her secret? To cover the kourambiedes platter tightly with some cling film and to store the remaining batch in air-tight containers. That way, the kourabiedes will last for 2 to 3 weeks and will be just as fresh and tasty as when they came out of the oven!

Kourabiedes, the perfect Greek Christmas almond biscuit!

So go ahead, give them a try and let me know what you think! If you love ouzo, take a look at my kourabiedes recipe with ouzo. Looking for more Christmas inspiration? Take a look at my delicious Christmas recipes collection featuring my very best Melomakarona, Vasilopita (New Years cake), Diples and Christopsomo (greek christmas bread with walnuts) recipes!

Easiest Homemade Kourabiedes recipe (Christmas Greek Butter Cookies)

(1,012 votes, average: 4.84 out of 5)
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• Author: Eli K. Giannopoulos
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 25 pieces
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: Greek

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Description

If you think that making homemade kourabiedes / kourambiethes (Christmas Greek butter cookies with almonds) takes lots of time and effort, try this super easy recipe!

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Ingredients

• 250g butter made from cows milk, cold (9 ounces, 1.1 cups) (Lurpak unsalted)
• 150g almonds, roughly chopped or almond slivers, roasted (6 ounces, 1 1/4 cups)
• 50g almonds (whole) or almond slivers, raw (1.8 ounces, 1/4 cups)
• 75g icing sugar (2.7 ounces, 1/2 cups)
• 1 tbsp rose water
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• 400g all-purpose (plain) flour (14.2 ounces, 3 1/5 cups)
• lots of icing sugar for powdering

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200C / 390F. To prepare this kourabiedes (kourambiethes) recipe start by roasting the almonds. Place the roughly chopped almonds (150g/ 6 ounces) or almond silvers on a baking tray and sprinkle with some water. Bake them for 7-8 minutes, until roasted, being careful not to burn them. Set aside or put in the fridge to cool.
2. In a blender, add the raw almonds (50g/ 1.8 ounces) or the pistachios and blend, until powdered. Set aside.
3. In a food processor, add the cold butter and sugar; mix for about 10 seconds, until the butter ‘breaks’ and is completely dissolved. Add the powdered almonds, a pinch of salt, the rosewater and the vanilla extract; mix for 10-20 seconds, until combined. At the end, add the baking powder and flour and mix again for 10-15 seconds.
4. Place the mixture in a large bowl and add the roasted almonds; blend lightly with your hands. For the kourabiedes to remain fluffy, it is important that the butter doesn’t warm up and melt. So wait for a while for the roasted almonds to cool, before adding them to the butter mixture.
5. Preheat the oven to 170C / 340F. Layer the bottom of 2 baking trays with parchment paper and form the kourabiedes.
6. Roll 1 tbsp (about 30g) of the dough into a ball, place on the baking tray and push with your finger in the middle, to form a little dimple. Continue with the rest of the dough. Place in the fridge for 5 minutes until you prepare your next tray.
7. Place the baking trays with the kourabiedes in second and fourth rack of the oven. Bake for approx. 15-20 minutes, until they have a very faint golden tint and are cooked through. Be careful not to overbake them.
8. Leave the kourabiedes aside to cool down for a while. If you try to lift them, while still warm, they will break!
9. Spray the kourabiedes with rosewater and sift with icing sugar. Enjoy!

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 196kcal
• Sugar: 8g
• Sodium: 95.5mg
• Fat: 12.2g
• Saturated Fat: 5.4g
• Unsaturated Fat: 6.2g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 19.6g
• Fiber: 1.4g
• Protein: 3.1g
• Cholesterol: 21.5mg

Keywords: kourabiedes, kourambiethes, Rosewater cookies, Greek christmas butter cookies, Greek almond cookies

Kourabiedes recipe / Kourambiethes Preparation Gallery:

The post Easiest Homemade Kourabiedes recipe (Christmas Greek Butter Cookies) appeared first on My Greek Dish.

Greek Diples Recipe (Christmas Greek Pastry with Honey)

(528 votes, average: 4.89 out of 5)
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• Author: Eli K. Giannopoulos
• Prep Time: 60 min
• Cook Time: 30 min
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Yield: 30 pieces
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Fried
• Cuisine: Greek

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Description

Christmas on a platter, drizzled with syrup and walnuts! Diples / Thiples are Christmas Greek pastries with honey and are named by the Greek word for “fold”

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Ingredients

For the Diples

• 2 flat tbsps sugar
• 2 flat tbsps baking soda
• 350–400g all-purpose flour (12–14 ounces)
• 5 eggs (divided into yolks and whites)
• juice of 1 lemon
• juice of 1 orange
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup corn oil
• a pinch of salt
• vegetable oil for frying

For the syrup

• 1/4 of a cup sugar
• 1/4 of a cup water
• 1/2 cup honey
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 150g chopped walnuts, for garnish (5 ounces)

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Instructions

1. Place the egg whites into the bowl of the electric mixer, along with a pinch of salt. Make sure your egg whites, bowl and whisk attachments are clean and free of any water. Whisk the egg whites until the mixture is very thick and glossy and a long trailing peak forms when the whisk is lifted (meringues).
2. Add the egg yolks one at a time, whilst mixing; wait for each one to be absorbed, before adding another. In a cup add the orange and lemon juice and baking soda and blend, until dissolved and pour in the egg mixture. Add the white wine vinegar and the sugar and mix.
3. Pour the mixture in a large bowl or basin and sift in the flour; add the oil and knead the dough using your hands, until smooth and elastic, and not sticky (if it is sticky, add some more flour).
4. Separate the dough in four pieces, cover with some plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
5. Using a rolling pin, roll out each part of the dough into thin rectangle sheets. Now you have to make a decision, whether you want to go the easy or the hard way!
6. Diples get their name from the Greek word for “fold”. This means that you have to fold them.. So if you have the time, go for the traditional version. Using a rolling cutter, cut the rolled out dough into rectangular pieces (approx. 12×25 cm). Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, until shimmering but not smoking hot. Place a cut dough sheet in the hot oil. Using two large cooking forks and placing the edge between the tines of the fork, hold the end furthest away from you and roll the sheet away from you. Hold it a little with the fork in the oil, until coloured and place on some kitchen paper to drain. Repeat with the rest. (It’s best to cut all the diples before you begin frying.)
7. For the easy version, using a rolling cutter, cut the rolled out dough into rectangular pieces (approx. 10x5cm) or square pieces (8×8 cm). Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and deep fry the diples in batches of 3-4 at a time, depending on the how large is the pan, pushing them down with a fork and flipping them sides, until coloured. Place on some kitchen paper to drain and repeat with the rest.
8. Prepare the syrup for the diples. Pour in a pot all the syrup ingredients and bring to the boil; boil for 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved (do not stir the syrup).
9. Place the diples on a serving platter and drizzle with the syrup (or if you like them extra syrupy, soak each one in the syrup for a few seconds). Sprinkle with ground walnuts and cinnamon.
10. Alternatively, just warm up the honey, drizzle the diples and garnish with chopped walnuts. Enjoy!

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 piece
• Calories: 153kcal
• Sugar: 7.8g
• Sodium: 340.5mg
• Fat: 8.3g
• Saturated Fat: 1.5g
• Unsaturated Fat: 6.4g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 17.8g
• Fiber: 0.7g
• Protein: 3g
• Cholesterol: 27.3mg

Keywords: Diples, Christmas Greek honey pastry, Greek Thiples recipe

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Got a comment or suggestion? Drop us a note in the comments section below. And as always, don’t forget to share with your friends and family!

The post Greek Diples Recipe (Christmas Greek Pastry with Honey) appeared first on My Greek Dish.

Snowy Chocolate Cookies!

(709 votes, average: 4.88 out of 5)
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• Author: Eli K. Giannopoulos
• Prep Time: 25 min
• Cook Time: 15 min
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 30 cookies
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: Greek

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Description

Beautiful and highly addictive Christmas snowy chocolate cookies! Crispy on the outside with a chewy middle rich in chocolate and all this sprinkled with ‘snow’ – powdered sugar!

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Ingredients

For the cookies

• 200g all-purpose flour (7 ounces, 1 1/2 cups)
• 250g dark chocolate, melted (8.8 ounces, 1 1/3 cups)
• 1 small cup of espresso coffee – one shot – 73ml / 2.5 fl oz
• 80g butter, melted (2.8 ounces, 1/3 cups)
• 2 eggs
• 100g brown sugar (3.5 ounces, 1/3 cups)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping

• 100g sugar (3.5 ounces, 1/3 cups)
• 100g icing sugar (3.5 ounces, 3/4 cups)

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Instructions

1. To prepare these delicious snowy chocolate cookies, start by preparing your ingredients. In a bowl add the flour and the baking powder and blend. Melt the butter and the chocolate separately. To melt the chocolate it is best to use a bain-marie (or double boiler), a piece of equipment used to heat the chocolate gently and gradually to fixed temperatures so that it doesn’t burn. If you don’t have a Bain-marie, break the chocolate into small pieces and drop into a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a small saucepan about a quarter full with hot water and place the bowl on top so that it rests on the rim of the pan (the bowl should not touch the water). Place the pan, with the bowl on top, over low heat until the chocolate has melted, whilst stirring occasionally.
2. In a bowl add the eggs and whisk with a hand-mixer until they thicken. Set your mixer to low speed and pour in the melted butter, the melted chocolate, the espresso coffee, the brown sugar, the vanilla extract and the flour (one at a time, whilst mixing).
3. Cover the dough with some plastic wrap (the plastic wrap should be touching the dough, to prevent it from forming a crust) and place in the fridge for 3 hours.
4. Place the icing sugar and the sugar in 2 separate plates, large enough to roll the cookie balls. Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
5. Take one teaspoon of the dough, shape into a ball and roll the ball first in the sugar and then in the icing sugar. Place on the baking tray and repeat with the rest of the dough.
6. Place the baking trays with the cookies in second and fourth grill of the oven, turn the heat down to 180C and bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on whether you prefer them chewy or crispy. Leave them aside to cool down for a while, if you can resist eating them hot from the oven.. Enjoy!

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Keywords: snowy chocolate cookies

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Kourampiedes (Kourabiethes) are infused with rose water and the aromas of butter and topped with luscious layers of icing sugar. Who can resist eating a few more than they should

How to make the perfect kourabiethes with ouzo 

• Remember that the butter should be at room temperature before starting the recipe.
• Beat the butter and sugar with a mixer until fluffy and white like whipped cream. This could take almost from 10 to 20 minutes (high speed).
• After beating the butter, make sure it warms up as little as possible. If the butter warms up it will lose its volume and the Kourabiethes won’t became fluffy.
• So make sure your toasted nuts have cooled down completely before adding them to the mix. If they are still hot, they will make the butter in your Kourampiedes melt.
• It’s also a good idea to use some plastic gloves when shaping the Kourabiethes so that the temperature of your hands doesn’t affect the texture of the mixture.
• Remember to sift the flour, so that the cookies become fluffier.
• If you like your Kourabiethes tasting stronger and fuller you could substitute the cows milk butter with sheep’s butter or combine the two.

Also dont forget to take a look at my quick and easy traditional kourabiedes recipe to discover all my tips and tricks for Kourabiedes as well!

Traditional Kourabiedes/Kourabiethes with Ouzo recipe

(695 votes, average: 4.81 out of 5)
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• Author: Eli K. Giannopoulos
• Prep Time: 50 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 50
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: Greek

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Description

Our best recipe for Kourampiedes (Kourabiethes)! Traditionally made to celebrate Christmas, these butter cookies will definitely set you on a festive mood!

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Ingredients

• 250g cow milk butter, at room temperature (9 ounces)
• 100g icing sugar (3.5 ounces)
• 100g almonds, whole or roughly chopped, with the peel (3.5 ounces)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsps ouzo (Greek drink)
• 1 tbsp rose water
• 450–500g all-purpose flour, sifted (16–18 ounces)
• 6g baking powder (1 1/2 tsp)
• 300g icing sugar for powdering (10 ounces)

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven at 200C / 390F. Place the almonds whole or roughly chopped (depending on whether you prefer the cookies to have whole or chopped almonds inside) on a baking tray and sprinkle with some water. Bake them for 7-8 minutes, being careful not to burn them.
2. Use an electric mixer, to mix the butter and the icing sugar (100g/3.5 ounces), for about 20 minutes, until the butter is creamy and fluffy, like whipped cream. (It is very important that the butter is at room temperature.) Add the vanilla extract, the rose water and the ouzo and blend; add the baked almonds and blend again.
3. In another bowl, blend the sifted flour and the baking powder. (It is very important to sift the flour, so that the cookies will become light and smooth.) Gradually add the flour into the butter mixture (from step 2) and work the mixture with your hands, until the ingredients are combined and the dough is soft and easy to work. You will need 450-500g of flour, depending on the flour.
4. Preheat the oven to 200C; layer the bottom of 2 baking trays with parchment paper and form the kourampiedes. Roll 1-2 tbsps of the dough into a ball, place on the baking tray and push with your finger in the middle, to form a little dimple. Continue with the rest of the dough.
5. Place the baking trays with the kourampiedes in second and fourth grill of the oven and turn the heat down to 180C. Bake for approx. 20 minutes, until they have a very faint golden tint and are cooked through. Be careful not to overcook them. Leave them aside to cool down for a while. If you try to lift them, while still warm, they will break.
6. In a large bowl, add 500g/18 ounces of icing sugar and dip the kourampiedes (in batches) in the sugar, rolling them around, so that the sugar sticks on all sides. Place on one or two large platters. When done, sift the extra 500g/18 ounces icing sugar over the kourampiedes.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 142kcal
• Sugar: 8g
• Sodium: 1.2mg
• Fat: 5.4g
• Saturated Fat: 2.7g
• Unsaturated Fat: 2.7g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 21.8g
• Fiber: 1.5g
• Protein: 2.6g
• Cholesterol: 10.8mg

Keywords: Kourabiethes, kourabiedes recipe with ouzo, Greek kourampiedes

Got a comment or suggestion? Drop us a note in the comments section below. And as always, don’t forget to share with your friends and family!

The post Kourampiedes / Kourabiethes with Ouzo recipe appeared first on My Greek Dish.

And since they are egg and butter free, you can enjoy them with (almost) no guilt!

Love apple?

If you love apple as much as I do, then these recipes are made for you!

• Lenten apple pie (Milopita)
• Apple Jam Tart (Pasta flora)

Walnut-filled, Crescent -Shaped Pastries (Skaltsounia)

(477 votes, average: 4.97 out of 5)
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• Author: Eli K. Giannopoulos
• Prep Time: 40 min
• Cook Time: 20 min
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 30 pieces
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: Greek
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Soft and crunchy crescent-shaped pastries (skaltsounia) with a delicious, flavorful walnut, jam and apple filling. This delicious treat is perfect with a nice cup of tea and as its egg and butter free, perfect for the Easter lent season!

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Ingredients

For the dough

• 250g vegetable oil (9 ounces)
• 125g dry white wine (4.5 ounces)
• 1/4 of a cup brown sugar
• 500g self-rising flour (18 ounces)

For the filling

• 1 green apple, grated
• 100g walnuts, chopped (3.5 ounces)
• 2 tbsps breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsps sugar
• 1 tbsp apple jam
• 1/2 tsp powdered cinnamon
• icing sugar for powdering

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Instructions

1. To prepare the dough for the skaltsounia, pour into a large bowl the oil and sugar and whisk; add the wine, and the flour and blend well, using your hands, until the ingredients combine. Knead the dough, until it softens. Depending on the flour, you may need to use a little bit less or more flour than the recipe calls for. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. Leave the dough to rest for about 30 minutes.
2. In the meantime, prepare the filling for the skaltsounia. Grate the apple into a large bowl, add the sugar, the chopped walnuts, the breadcrumbs, the jam and cinnamon. Blend well, until the ingredients combine. In Greece one can find a variety of those pastries, using different kinds of fillings, depending on the region, so feel free to experiment with the ingredients you like the most!
3. Place the dough on a floured surface. Cut it in half and roll out each half to a thickness of about 0.4 cm. Using a 10-12 cm cutter, cut out the dough in circles. If you find it difficult to roll out the dough, take a piece of the dough (the size of a walnut) and using your hands, stretch it into a circle; repeat with the rest.
4. Place a teaspoon of the filling on each circle and fold the dough, creating a half-moon. Join the edges well, pressing with your fingers.
5. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F. Place the pastries (skaltsounia) on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the skaltsounia from the oven, leave to cool for a while and sprinkle with icing sugar. Enjoy!

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Keywords: skaltsounia, Greek biscuits with jam, crescent shaped pastry, walnut pastries

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Got a comment or suggestion? Drop us a note in the comments section below. And as always, don’t forget to share with your friends and family!

The post Walnut-filled, Crescent -Shaped Pastries (Skaltsounia) appeared first on My Greek Dish.