Name: Kourambiedes (or snow balls)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 cups butter softened; 4-5 cups flour; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 egg yolks; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 cup Amaretto di Saronno; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1-2 cups powdered sugar

Deciding on your Christmas cookies for this year? Why not give these a try? This classic Greek Christmas cookie is easy to make and has been a family favorite for 4 generations. I usually triple the recipe so I can offer to friends and family alike.

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Kourambiedes (or snow balls)

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Total Time45

Servings: 100 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups butter softened
4-5 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup Amaretto di Saronno
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Beat butter until fluffy. Add sugar, egg yolks, vanilla and Amaretto and continue beating. Combine flour with baking powder and slowly add to mixture until you obtain a dough that is soft to the touch but not sticky.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Start rolling the dough into balls about an inch in diameter. As these cookies have a tendency to flatten, I usually shape them into oval's and place them standing upright onto the pan. This way when they cook the outcome is a rounded cookie. Place on a cookie sheet making sure to space them at least 1 inch apart as they are going to expand a little. Bake for 15 -20 minutes or until cookies are slightly golden on the bottom.
In the meantime, sift a layer of powdered sugar on the bottom of a glass platter.
As soon as you remove the cookies from oven, place one row on the platter while they are still hot. Spray with a bit of Amaretto and sift more powdered sugar over the cookies immediately. Place the second row on top of the first. Repeat until you have finished all the cookies. You will be layering them into a pyramid form.
I use a sifter that I purchased from Pampered Chef but you can also use wire colander shaking it on to the cookies as if it were snowing.
This recipe makes around 100 cookies.
Let the kourambiedes cool and enjoy.