Hey there,
If there’s one thing every Greek kitchen agrees on, it’s this: the holiday season officially begins the moment the first tray of Kourabiedes and Melomakarona hits the table. The aroma alone could bring Santa down the chimney early for these delicious treats with milk. These are my holiday Christmas season must-make recipes. hahhahahh ho ho hooooo
If there is one cookie that truly screams Greek Christmas, it’s the beloved Kourabiedes. These snowy-looking, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies make their appearance every December. But today, we’re taking this classic cookie a step further… with Mastiha. I usually buy Mastiha pearls and grind them, but if you can find Mastiha powder, it’s much quicker.
Now, if you’ve never baked with Mastiha before, get ready for something special. The fragrance alone is enough to make you stop, inhale deeply, and smile. It elevates these cookies into something fragrant, elegant, and uniquely Greek. Think traditional Kourabiedes, but with a pinch of old-world charm and an unmistakable Mediterranean twist. Soooo sooo good!
I grew up watching these cookies being made in huge batches. Every year, my mom and her friends would gather at someone’s house. (rotating each year) Greek moms in New York speaking English with a Greek accent (just try to imagine it), chatting loudly, kids running wild, flour clouds everywhere… pure chaos. And ohhh, those looks that legendary mom glare that said, “Don’t you dare touch anything.” One glance, and we instantly behaved. As I’m writing this, all those memories are rushing back, and I can’t stop laughing! We’d all been warned ahead of time not to touch anything… but did any of us listen? Absolutely not!
Flour everywhere, powdered sugar floating in the air like winter snow, and my mom always yelling, “Don’t touch them yet, they’re still hot!” (and yes… we always touched them anyway.) And now, years later, every time I bake them, my kitchen fills with that same buttery aroma, and suddenly it’s Christmas again.
These Mastiha Kourabiedes are soft, crumbly, and so aromatic that even your neighbors will wonder what you’re baking. Give them a splash of brandy, toasted almonds for that perfect crunch, and the magic ingredient Mastiha makes these cookies incredibly special. And once you powder them with icing sugar, they turn into little cookies that you definitely won’t want to share. 😉
A little information about Mastiha: Mastiha (or mastic) is a natural resin that comes from the mastic tree. Mainly grown on the Greek island of Chios, located in the Northern part of the Aegean. Mastiha has a beautifully unique aroma, slightly sweet, herbal, and almost pine-like. Many traditional holiday sweets, especially kourabiedes, become extra special when you add just a touch of this aromatic resin.
So go ahead, preheat the oven, warm up the butter, crush the Mastiha pearls, and let the sweet scent of Greek tradition fill your home with these delicious Kourabiedes with Mastiha flavor. Your holidays are about to get a whole lot tastier.
Have a great morning/afternoon/evening, everyone!
Kourabiedes with Mastiha Flavor
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cup butter good quality unsalted and room-temp
- ½ cup icing sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 30 ml Brandy or rum
- ½ cup almonds finely chopped and roasted
- 1 ½ tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Mastiha ground
Instructions
- Toss the almonds into a frying pan and toss around until toasted. Set aside to cool completely. Add cooled almonds to a blender and pulse on medium speed for 10 seconds until finely chopped.
- Add the butter and the icing sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer. Start mixing on low speed, then gradually increase to high. Whip until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Gradually add the dry mixture to the whipped butter while mixing on low speed.
- Pour in the brandy and vanilla extract. Continue mixing until combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the roasted almonds and ground Mastiha. Return the bowl to the mixer and mix on low for just a few seconds to incorporate.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Roll small portions of dough into round balls. Press your thumb gently into the center of each ball to create a small indentation. Place onto the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 25 minutes until lightly golden.
- Allow cookies to cool completely.
- Generously coat each cookie with icing sugar. Serve
KALI SAS OREXI!! 🙂
