Christmas time!

For me it is all about the cookies!
Greek cookies and pastries, but I always work the recipes because some where there is the memory of what my mom made and those in the books do not seem to match.
what i made (in 2 cases) turn out to be almost too light and crumbly.
I did know what to do to fix the basic recipe and then as i scoured other recipes, i saw that adding more eggs made the cookies firmer and so for your entertainment are this years changed offerings.

 kouloudia

a dunking cookie

my version

·                        ~ 5 cups flour

·                        1 tablespoon baking powder

·                        1 pound butter, softened, whipped

·                        1/2 cup sugar

·                        5 eggs, lightly beaten

·                        1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·                        1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

·                        Whole cloves

·                        raw sesame seeds to coat cookies

Sift 3 cups flour with baking powder. Set aside.

Whip butter and sugar.

Add eggs to butter mixture.

Add vanilla.

Add the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time and mix well

sift and add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough is pliable

Roll dough into 5 to 6 inch logs ~3/8 inches thick

Shape dough with lightly floured hands into desired shapes

arrange on greased cookie sheets.

Brush with beaten egg white and water.

Add sesame seeds and a clove to each shape.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown at 350 F

 Cool on racks.

Kourambiethes

(Joe's version)

·       2 cups whipped butter

·       2/3 cup raw sugar

·       1 teaspoon TANG (this primarily adds acid, not flavor)

·       4 teaspoons vanilla

·       2 teaspoon orange zest

·       2 teaspoon anise flavor

·       1 teaspoon orange flavor

·       5 eggs, beaten (use fewer eggs for lighter, crumblier cookies)

·       3 cups pecans, chopped fine

·       2 teaspoons water

·       5 or more cups flour

·       powdered sugar to finely coat the cooled cookies

Add sugar and TANG to the whipped butter and whip till fluffy.

Add zest, nuts, vanilla, orange and anise flavor and continue to whip.

add water and change to a beater bar
Add flour slowly, continue to beat until the mixture begins to  “ball” into clumps. (Sometimes I need to add more flour)

roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet
You may shape the cookie, keep in balls or “squash down”.  Your choice
bake for 25 minutes at 350º F.
The cookies will have the edges just brown.
They must cool before removing from tray.
Place on tray and cover with powdered sugar.
Eat at room temperature.

I have already made my traditional Baklava and Karidopida, but did not change the recipe for those.















I will be trying another item that is called Melomakarona, but will be using corn flour (maseca) instead - this will be an experiment, but heck everything i do in the kitchen is an experiment