Irene’s Cretan biscuits (Greek almond cookies)

These conventional Greek Cretan biscuits are right here courtesy of Irene, the very Greek mom of my very Greek hairdresser. Does it shock anyone that I spend more often than not on the salon discussing meals with everyone and anyone? 😂

Meet Irene, beloved native Greek grandmother and baker

In the event you love buttery shortbread biscuits and almond cookies, you’ll adore right now’s Greek Cretan Biscuits. However first, I would like you to satisfy Irene!

My hairdresser Deange Hair is run by two Greek sisters, Angela and Diane, in a small store hooked up to their mother and father’ home. On any given day, the salon buzzes with prospects getting their hair accomplished as they nibble selfmade cookies whereas younger kids dart across the store. Irene, the household matriarch, holds courtroom with purchasers as she interjects with “recommendation” for her daughters as they work with scrumptious aromas wafting in from her kitchen.

You would possibly even catch her doing a weekly audit of her biscuit gross sales to make sure her daughters aren’t shortchanging her. “Be sure this cash goes to your mum!” I sternly remind Angela and Diane each time I purchase some. 😂

It’s a splendidly acquainted scene that gives a lot amusement to regulars.

Of all of the selfmade cookies I’ve tried (and I’m fairly positive I’ve tried all of them!), the Greek Cretan biscuits have been my favorite. Thanks Irene for sharing your recipe!

Elements in Irene’s Cretan Biscuits

Right here’s what you’ll want to make Irene’s Cretan Biscuits.

biscuit dough

• Blanched almonds – These are skinless almonds which have been blanched (did the title give it away?? 😂) which means they’ve been briefly boiled in water so the pores and skin comes off simply. These almonds are softer and have a extra refined almond flavour than common roasted almonds. They’re additionally chosen for aesthetic causes whenever you don’t need the darkish brown almond pores and skin in meals, like in these Cretan Cookies.

  Can you utilize common almonds with skins? Yep, you positive can and the flavour shall be related. However put together your self for little darkish brown bits inside your cookies!

• Butter – Provides these cookies the divine buttery flavour harking back to shortbread cookies. I desire to make use of unsalted then add my very own quantity of salt. However in the event you solely have salted that’s wonderful, simply skip the salt within the recipe.

• Flour – Simply plain / all-purpose flour. Observe: Irene’s unique recipe referred to as for self elevating flour. See FAQ for what and why I deviated from her unique recipe!

• Baking powder – That is what makes the cookies rise into these fantastic little mounds! ⚠️ Don’t substitute with baking soda (bi-carbonate soda), the cookies will style metallic. Additionally, in case your baking powder has been mendacity dormant for months in your pantry, verify it’s nonetheless alive earlier than beginning the recipe (directions right here, it’s useless simple).

• Egg – Use a “massive egg” which is bought in cartons labelled as “massive eggs”. They’re ~50g/2 ozeach in shells. Eggs in a carton usually are not all the identical weight as a result of these darn hens, they’re so egocentric, how dare they not lay eggs precisely the identical weight each time! The purpose of offering a dimension information is so that you don’t use a big ostrich egg or tiny quail egg….the recipe is not going to work! 🙂

  Be sure your egg is at room temperature, not fridge chilly. else you’ll wrestle to get it blended into the butter correctly.

• Vanilla extract – For flavour. Vanilla extract trumps vanilla essence (imitation). I wouldn’t use expensive vanilla beans in a recipe like this!

Adorning

• Egg white – Used to brush the highest of the biscuits to make the almond flakes stick. Use the yolk plus leftover egg whites to your morning scrambled eggs or omelette!

• Almond flakes – For adorning the floor. Not essential, however a pleasant to have for each further almond flavour plus visible. I might plough forward with this recipe if I used to be out!

How one can make Irene’s Cretan Cookies

This can be a easy cookie recipe. Nevertheless, this part has a good quantity of descriptions so even novice bakers can believe making this recipe. For professional bakers, head straight to the abbreviated instructions on the recipe card beneath!

1. crushed ALMOND BITs

1. Roast almonds – Pop the almonds within the oven for 7 minutes to toast them calmly. This can depth the almond flavour however received’t make the almonds too brown (we would like them to remain white so it’s invisible within the cookies).

   Roasting shouldn’t be an important step as a result of the cookies are pretty as is. However it does carry out the almond flavour. It’s particularly good to do that in case you are utilizing almonds a bit on the previous aspect. 🙂

2. Bash or blitz – Use a meals processor or a ziplock bag and rolling pin to bash the almonds into little crumbs. We’re not going for finely floor almonds right here. If we have been, the recipe would use almond meal as a substitute! I describe the items as “coarse sand plus some bigger bits” as a result of whichever technique you utilize, it’s onerous to get the almonds all uniform in dimension. And that’s what we would like, as a result of it’s really very nice to have little bits of almonds within the cookies!

2. BISCUIT MIXTURE

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt collectively then put them apart.

2. Cream the butter and sugar till it’s mild and fluffy, like delicate spreadable butter. It takes about 1 1/2 minutes on medium excessive.

   Device – I desire to make use of a handheld beater as a result of you possibly can transfer it across the bowl so that you don’t really want to scrape the edges down. If you wish to use a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment and scrape down the edges of the bowl a minimum of twice.

3. Egg and vanilla – Then beat the egg and vanilla into the butter combination. It’d look a bit curdled however don’t fear, it can come collectively as soon as we add the flour.

   ⚠️ Essential to make sure the egg is at room temperature as it can incorporate into the butter combination extra simply. Fridge chilly egg is not going to combine in correctly.

4. Flour combination in 3 heaps – Beat within the flour combination in 3 heaps. By this, I imply add 1/3 of the flour and beat on medium pace till the flour is nearly blended in ie some specks of white is ok, about 5 seconds with the beater. Begin on low then enhance the pace to medium (in the event you begin on excessive there shall be a flour storm!). Then repeat this twice extra till all of the flour is used up.

5. Crushed almonds – Then lastly, add the bashed almonds and beat till the flour is totally blended in.

6. Completed dough – That is what it appears like. Shaggy however delicate, rollable right into a easy ball.

3. MAKING THE COOKIES

Use no matter technique you discover best to roll 30 x 2 tablespoon balls (30 ml). The steps beneath depict the tactic I discover to be the quickest to make even dimension cookies.

1. Trays – You’ll need 2 massive baking trays. Frivolously grease with butter or spray with oil then cowl with baking paper (parchment paper).

2. Scoop first – Use a #40 (2 tbsp) cookie scoop to scoop and dollop the cookie dough into mounds on baking trays. It’s best to nearly get 30 cookies in the event you fill the news with out air bubbles and “smear” it up the aspect of the bowl to degree the floor.

3. Roll and flatten – Working one cookie at a time, I roll the dough right into a easy ball then barely flatten to about 2 cm / 0.8″ thick.

   Then place the cookies 4 cm / 1.6″ aside on the trays. I do 15, being 3 rows of 5 cookies on every tray They don’t broaden outwards that a lot however we would like ample warmth circulating round every cookie in order that they prepare dinner correctly.

4. Almond topping – Brush the highest with the egg white them place a pinch of almond flakes on high (no have to press in, egg glues them on).

5. Bake each trays collectively for 20 minutes or till the cookies within the center are mild golden and those of the sting of the tray are barely extra golden.

6. Cool 5 minutes on the tray then switch onto a rack to chill for a minimum of an extra 10 minutes earlier than attacking! (Scorching cookies = fragile / mouth burns. Both state of affairs shouldn’t be excellent). Whereas usually eaten at room temperature as soon as cooled, they are surely further particular when heat and recent out of the oven.

Issues of storage – and a very powerful factor

As soon as totally cool, retailer in an hermetic container within the pantry, not the fridge. They keep recent for five days and nonetheless very, excellent at 7 days, making them wonderful for…..oh, I don’t know. Promoting on the counter of your hair salon? 😂

Whereas shelf life data is beneficial, I do know what you’re all ready for – Irene’s evaluation of my Cretan Biscuits! Very glad to report that she gave them a giant thumbs up. 👍🏻 PHEW!!! – Nagi x

Watch find out how to make it

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Greek Cretan Biscuits (almond cookies)

Servings30 cookies

Faucet or hover to scale

Recipe video above. A recipe for conventional Greek almond cookies, given to me by Irene, the proudly Greek mom of my Greek hairdresser! Tastes like almond shortbread cookies. Love the mound-like form, feels substantial biting into it.See FAQ about distinction in measures between nations, no have to tweak this recipe, works as written.

Cook dinner ModeForestall display screen from sleeping

Directions

ABBREVIATED RECIPE:

• Toast almonds 7 min at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan), cool bash or blitz. Cream butter and sugar, beat in egg and vanilla. Add dry substances in 3 heaps, then beat in almond. Roll 30 x 2 tbsp balls (#40 scoop). Barely flatten, brush with egg white, high with flakes. Bake 20 min till mild golden.

Almond bits:

• Roasting (non-obligatory, Observe 1) – Roast the almonds for 8 minutes on a small tray, shaking as soon as midway. Cool almonds on the tray.

• Bash/blitz the almonds utilizing a meals meals processor or ziplock bag with a rolling pin till they resemble coarse sand with some small lumps (little almonds bits within the cookies are good). (Observe 3)

Cookie dough:

• Dry substances – Whisk collectively the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Put aside.

• Cream butter and sugar – In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar utilizing a handheld beater till it’s delicate and fluffy, scraping down the edges as wanted, ~1 1/2 minutes on medium excessive. (Observe 2 stand mixer) Add the egg and vanilla, then beat till blended in. (Observe 4)

• Add the flour combination in 3 heaps, beating in between till the flour is generally blended in (some seen white flour is okay). Begin the beater on low and enhance to medium, about 7 sec every go.

• Add the crushed almonds then beat on medium till you possibly can not see flour.

• Type cookies – Roll 30 x 2 tablespoon balls (#40 cookie scoop) then barely flatten to about 2 cm / 0.8″ thick. (Observe 5 for my technique). Place the cookies 4 cm / 1.6″ aside on the trays. Brush the highest with egg white them place a pinch of almond flakes on high (no have to press in, egg glues them on).

• Bake each trays collectively for 20 minutes or till the cookies within the center are mild golden and those of the sting of the tray are barely extra golden.

• Cool 5 minutes on the tray then switch onto a rack to totally cool. Assault!

Recipe Notes:

1. Blanched almonds are the skinless almonds bought in packets labelled “blanched almonds” (I do know, surprising! 😉 ) Almonds with skins on works however you’ll get little brown bits within the cookies. Roasting intensifies the almond flavour however it’s not recipe essential.
2. If utilizing a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment and scrape down sides as wanted. For this recipe, I discover a handheld beater simpler as a result of you possibly can transfer it round so most likely don’t have to scrape down the edges.
3. Almond bashing – We’re not aiming for wonderful almond meal / almond flour right here, we would like a lot of tiny little bits!
4. If the combination appears a bit cut up whenever you add the egg that’s okay, it can come collectively whenever you add the flour.
5. My cookie forming technique: scoop and dollop all of the dough onto trays, then roll and flatten. I discover this the quickest technique to make even sized cookies. (I additionally do that with meatballs!)
Retailer cookies in an hermetic container for five days (as soon as totally cool). Don’t refrigerate. 
Diet per cookie.

Diet Data:

Energy: 144cal (7%)Carbohydrates: 14g (5%)Protein: 2g (4%)Fats: 9g (14%)Saturated Fats: 5g (31%)Polyunsaturated Fats: 1gMonounsaturated Fats: 3gTrans Fats: 0.3gLdl cholesterol: 23mg (8%)Sodium: 5mgPotassium: 97mg (3%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 5g (6%)Vitamin A: 216IU (4%)Calcium: 37mg (4%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

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