FESTIVE SEASON 2013-2014: Kourabiedes (Greek Christmas butter cookies) flavoured with mastic

The mastic gives an extra flavour and aroma to the, already, delicate and delicious taste of kourabiedes. Another version of this popular traditional Christmas sweet

Recipe of Argyro Barbarigou,

a prominent Head Cook and author

Check out her site Argiro for more Festive recipes

Ingredients (for 40 pieces):
700gr. soft flour
400gr. margarine at room temperature
1½ cup of almonds, roughly chopped and toasted
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup of icing sugar
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of mastic liqueur
1 tsp of mastric drops, ground (it will help if you add a bit of sugar so the mastic drops will not become a paste)
plenty of icing sugar for icing
rosewater to drizzle
whole almonds for decoration

Method:
In a large bowl sift the flour together with the baking powder.

In the mixer bowl beat together the margarine and the icing sugar until they become creamy and fluffy. Then add in the mixture the ground mastic, the egg yolks, the mastic liqueur and continue beating until the ingredients blend well.

Take the bowl off the mixer and slowly and gradually add in the mixture the flour, kneading gently and in the end add the almonds. The dough in the end has to be soft and elastic so to be easy to handle.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Get pieces of the dough and make kourabiedes of various shapes (round, crescent etc). Place them on greased baking sheets, leaving some space between them because they expand a bit during baking.
On top of each kourabie stick a whole almond.

Put in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes.

When the kourabiedes are ready, and while they are still hot, drizzle them with the rosewater and sprinkle with the icing sugar. Place them then on large serving platters and sprinkle with even more icing sugar.

Let them stand to cool down and they are ready to treat friends and family!