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Ingredients
- 1/3 cup almonds, skin on
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons confectioners' sguar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon brandy
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Preparation
Step 1
1. Chop the almonds into small pieces. Toast in a dry skillet over low-ish heat until just colored, then cool.
2. Whisk the butter in a bowl using handheld beaters until very pale and thick, about 8 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar and whisk it in well. Add the egg yolk, vanilla and brandy and whisk them in well. Sift in the flour and baking powder and beat until you have a smooth dough that is hard to keep mixing with the beaters. Add the almonds and mix in with your hands. press the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Break off pieces of dough, about 1 1/4 ounces each, and roll them into balls, slightly flattening the tops. Put them on the sheet, allowing a little space between each one. Bake until lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the sheet for about 15 minutes.
4. Dust about half of the confectioners' sugar onto a tray or large plate or your container where you will store them. Gently move the kourabiedes to sit in a single layer in this, then sprinkle the remaining confectioenrs' sugar over their tops so that they look like they are snowed in. Will keep for many days in a covered container.