It’s this time of the year when the classic battle begins for all Greeks! Are you a melomakarona fan or kourabiedes lover? All the bakeries, pastry shops, zacharoplasteia start the production of the two most favorite festive Greek sweets. Since a young age, I knew the festive season would start as the butter aroma would conquer my whole house! This recipe below will produce around 45-50 pieces.
A tip from us: while eating them do not wear black!
- 2 1/4 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla powder
- 2 1/2 tbsp bitter almond liqueur, or brandy or rum
- 2-3 cups almond slivers, or coarsely chopped, unsalted and toasted
- 7 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch of salt
- Preheat the oven to 350F convention mode.
- In a mixer’s bowl add the butter, the icing sugar, and beat with the paddle attachment at high speed, for 10-15 minutes, until the mixture is fluffy and white. Add the vanilla powder, the liqueur, and keep beating. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
- Break down the almond slivers with your hands, in order to crumble them, and add them to a bowl. Add the flour, the salt, and put them in the mixer’s bowl. Mix the mixture with a serving spoon, very softly so that it does not lose its volume. As soon as the ingredients are homogenized, mix with your hands.
- Shape balls and transfer to a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Lightly press the center with your finger and bake for 20-25 minutes. Follow the same process for the whole mixture.
