Cinnamon Pecan Kourambiethes (Greek Butter Cookies)
These Kourambiethes (Greek Butter Cookies) are traditional Greek cookies my YiaYia made at every holiday. Rich, buttery, and melt in your mouth. These are similar to a wedding cookie, but not dry at all like those can be!
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Half Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper Sheets
Ingredients
Dough
- 454 grams salted butter (softened)
- 71 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons Seagram's 7 American Blended Whiskey
- 708 grams cake flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 127 grams raw pecans (chopped)
Topping
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined.
- Add in the egg yolk, whiskey, cake flour, cinnamon, and sea salt in that order. Mix on low until combined into a smooth dough.
- Add in the pecans and mix to combine.
- Using your hands, form the dough into 48 balls and place them close together on the prepared cookie sheets (they won’t spread while baking, so 24 should fit on each cookie sheet). Flatten each ball slightly. They should look like disks that are about 2 inches in diameter.
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on the bottoms. Let cool completely on the cookie sheets.
- Sift powdered sugar generously over the tops of the cookies. Store in a cool dry place for up to 1 week.
Video
Notes
Tips
- Always use a digital food scale for the best results.
- I use my stand mixer here, which I recommend over a hand mixer. This is because there is a lot of butter and a lot of flour in these cookies, so it will make it much easier!
- Use high quality butter in these Greek Christmas cookies because this is the majority of what is in the cookie!
- I list the exact whiskey my YiaYia used in this recipe, it's not fancy, but it's what makes these taste nostalgic for me! And I've tried many other higher quality whiskeys, so try this one out!
- Make sure to allow the cookies to cool completely before adding the powdered sugar on top. If you don't let the cookies cool completely, the powdered sugar will just melt into the cookies and you'll have to add even more!
- Store these in a cool dry place.
- High Altitude — Bake at 325°F for 17 to 20 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the bottoms.
Nutrition
Calories: 148kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 2gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 86mgPotassium: 29mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 244IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 0.2mg
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