Kourabiedes

Name: Kourabiedes
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 250g unsalted butter, softened; 60g icing sugar; 1 egg yolk; 2 tbsp brandy; 1 tbsp orange blossom water; 100g whole blanched almonds, toasted and chopped; 300g plain flour; 0.5 tsp baking powder; 150g icing sugar, for coating

Buttery Greek shortbread with toasted almonds and a snowy coat of icing sugar, made for Christmas.

Time1 hr
LevelEasy
Costabout £0.13 a head
Oven170°C (150°C fan)

Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.

24 biscuits

Ingredients

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250 gunsalted buttersoftened
60 gicing sugar
1egg yolk
2 tbspbrandy
1 tbsporange blossom water
100 gwhole blanched almondstoasted and chopped
300 gplain flour
½ tspbaking powder
150 gicing sugarfor coating

Method

1
Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan). Toast the almonds on a tray for 8 minutes until golden, then chop roughly.
8 min
2
Beat the butter and the 60 g icing sugar for 8 minutes, until very pale and fluffy. This makes them melt in the mouth.
8 min
3
Beat in the egg yolk, brandy and orange blossom water. Fold in the flour, baking powder and almonds to a soft dough.
4
Shape into 24 crescents or balls of about 30 g and set on lined trays. Bake for 20 minutes, until pale gold and just firm.
20 min
5
Cool for 10 minutes. Sift half the coating icing sugar into a dish, set the biscuits on it, and sift the rest generously on top.
6
Cool completely. Keep in a tin for up to a week.

Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.