Greek Butter Cookies are super simple to make and have a rich, buttery flavor with hints of almond, orange, and brandy. Great for you Christmas cookie tray!
The count down to Christmas is on. Time to start baking some cookies! These Greek Butter Cookies, made from a Cook’s Country recipe, are the perfect cookie to add to your Christmas cookie tray. Dusted in powdered sugar, they look just like little snowballs.
Greek Butter Cookies, are buttery (as the name implies) with just a hint of sweetness in the batter. A heavy dusting of confectioners’ sugar really sweetens them up if you have an insatiable sweet tooth. They are very similar to Mexican Wedding Cookies.
The dough is flavored with finely chopped almonds, vanilla extract, orange zest, and a little brandy. They actually taste even better a day or two after they are baked. If you can make them last that long. Not an easy thing to do with teenagers in the house!
Happy Baking!!
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Greek Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, (10 ounces)
- 1/2 cup blanched sliced almonds,, toasted and chopped fine
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter,, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon brandy
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Combine flour, almonds, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add granulated sugar, egg yolk, brandy, vanilla and orange zest. Beat until mixed well.
- With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in 3 additions, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix just until combined.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until the dough comes together into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Place oven racks in upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Heat oven to 300 degrees.
- Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll dough into balls, using a heaping tablespoon of dough for each ball. Place on baking sheets spaced 2 inches apart. You should have about 20 balls total.
- Bake until bottom edges are just starting to turn light brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Switch position of pans and rotate halfway through baking time.
- Cool cookies for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
- Sift confectioners' sugar over cookies once completely cooled.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Source: Cook’s Country June/July 2014
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These look delicious! My mom makes a version of these every Christmas so this brings back many wonderful holiday memories. 🙂
Eeks, sorry Christin, my daughter is sitting on my lap and reached to press the keyboard and sent my comment too quickly 🙂 It should say: “Yay for Christmas baking! I love these snowball type of cookies! The melt in your mouth texture and buttery taste is so irresistible!”
Yay for Christmas baking! I love these snowball type of cookies! The melt in your mouth texture
It doesn’t get any better than Greek butter cookies for the holidays! My Greek uncle used to make them and ship them to us from out of state, and they always tasted amazing. They’re perfect for gifts or the cookie tray — these look perfect, Christin! 🙂
*Waves hands! Oh me, I have an insatiable sweet tooth! I would LOVE these gorgeous cookies!
Love these cookies! So perfect for Christmas — and I’m all over the Christmas baking recipes lately! Trying to get a little done before baby comes 🙂
Yummm….
I love the looks of these cookies, Christin! I’ve never heard of a Greek butter kind before, but the flavor sounds incredible. What a fun cookie to add into my Christmas rotation! Pinned!
Yes, let the Christmas baking begin!! I love these type of cookies. I think I call them “snowballs”. Are they the same?? They look yummy! 🙂
I love love love love butter cookies. I can tell right off the bat by the list of ingredients that these are melt in your mouth, can I have more, cookies. I am giving these a try—-soon. But when I will be giving them away. I have no shame about eating butter cookies. So I have to be protected against myself. Ha.