Greek Butter Cookies (Kourabiedes)

These cookies will practically melt in your mouth. Most people make them in a crescent shape, but I like to make mine round. It makes the cookie a little smaller, thus less calories.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Yields: 55 cookies

Ingredients

• 1  lb sweet butter (no salt, softened to room temp)
• 1⁄4 cup powdered sugar
• 2  egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 2  tablespoons cognac or 2  tablespoons brandy or 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1  cup  toasted  ground almonds (roast ground almonds 7 min. at 350 until light brown, do not overbrown)
• 4 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1  lb powdered sugar

Directions

1. Cream butter until light and fluffy, it starts looking whitish. Mix in the 1/4 C powdered sugar and egg yolks, creaming well. Add brandy, mix in almonds.
2. Sift flour, measure and sift again with baking powder. Gradually add dry ingredients, mixing until smooth.
3. Use a teaspoon to pinch off pieces of dough the size of a walnut and shape into crescents or flatten into rounds. I roll them in my hand. Place on a ungreased baking pan. Place one whole clove in the center of each round. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes or until very lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for 5 minutes.
4. Sift a 1/8 inch thick layer of powdered sugar over waxed paper and transfer cookies to it. Sift more sugar over the top to cover. Let stand until cool, then store in a tin. They are much much better if you can stand to wait a few days before eating them, but I never can.