One of the things I love most about my job is that I am always learning, experimenting and of course, tasting foods from all over the world. Not for nothing is my business called The Cultural Kitchen!
I don’t know what comes first for me, is it my love for food, my love for travel, my love for culture, my love for learning, my love for eating or my love of sharing. I think it is a perfect combination of all of those that keeps me going and striving to learn something new every day. For me, it is truly a joy to spend my days in the kitchen cooking, experimenting and coming up with recipes that I can teach in my classes. The kitchen is my happy place.
I am preparing my next class and we will be making the foods of Greece. For every class I teach, I go on a little “trip” the weeks prior as I nail down the menu for that particular class. In this case, I’ve been cooking Greek food and having all sorts of fun making some dishes I have not made before, or tweaking some others, like these Greek Almond Cookies. I love how many cultures have their very own take on this cookie, and one of my favourites is the Mexican version of these, called Polvorones de Nuez.
These cookies come together super quick with items you likely have in your pantry, save some roasted almonds, and for flavouring, a bit of rose or orange blossom water and brandy. The rose or orange blossom water is key in these, and if you like that flavour, go ahead and mist the baked cookies with a bit more before you dust them with icing sugar. I like to keep these cookies a bit on the less sweet side, but if you prefer a bit more sweetness, roll them in the icing sugar rather than dusting.
These cookies keep well in a tin, but in my experience, they go fast! Enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee.
Greek Almond Cookies
Kourabiedes
1 cup raw almonds
250 butter, room temperature (1 cup + 2 Tbsp)
2/3 cup icing sugar, plus more for dusting
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp rose water or orange blossom water
2 Tbsp brandy
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Spread almonds on sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes or until fragrant and toasted.
Remove and cool. Once cool, chop almonds finely.
In large bowl combine butter and icing sugar.
Add flour, salt and baking powder and mix to combine.
Add the vanilla, rose water, brandy and almonds, and mix well.
Shape the cookies using a small ice cream scoop, and place on parchment lined sheet pans. Make them round and make a slight indentation in the centre of the cookies to flatten them slightly.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until bottoms are light golden.
Cool cookies completely.
Dust cookies with icing sugar.
Makes about 60 cookies.