Pecan (Walnut) Sugar Cookies "Kourabiedes"

My childhood Greek neighbors dropped off Greek cookies to our house yearly around Easter. I remember always being so excited for all the delicious creations! One of my favorite cookies were the Kourabiedes. They were lightly sweet and tasted a bit like tea biscuits. And, they smelled like orange blossoms! I never had the opportunity to ask for the recipe. However, this recipe is a close and tasty recreation. Suggestions and tips welcome!

*Note: you can always substitute the pecans for walnuts. I have made them both ways and my family was split on which flavor was better.

Ingredients:

 
3/4 cup pecans (or, alternative: walnuts)
1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) of softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar +  an additional 1 cup powdered sugar (optional: for tossing)
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla 
2 tablespoons orange blossom water (Check out specialty International, Arab, and Greek stores if you can't find this at your grocers - this can sometimes be called orange flower water)

Instructions:

Following these instructions exactly will provide the best results.

1. Toast the pecans in a skillet until fragrant and lightly brown for about 5 minutes. Let cool and grind the nuts in a food processor until about half of the nuts are finely ground and the other half of the nuts are coarsely chopped.

2. In a separate bowl, beat the butter, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, and orange blossom water with an electric mixer on high speed until the mixture gets light and fluffy. Do not shortcut this step!!! This step takes about 15 minutes!

3. Mix together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, pecans, and baking powder). Add this mixture into the wet ingredients and stir at a low speed until you get a crumbly dough. Cover the bowl and set dough aside at room temperature for 1 hour.

4. Roll a tablespoon amount of dough into a ball and pinch the ends so you get a slightly flat football shape. Place the cookies on a greased baking sheet about a 1/2 inch apart. 

5. Bake in oven at 350 degrees until the cookies set and start to turn golden brown. This takes about 16 to 18 minutes. Let cookies cool off until they are warm.

6. Optional, but recommended: Toss a few of the warm cookies very gently in 1 cup of powdered sugar until the cookies are thoroughly coated with powdered sugar. Repeat until all cookies are coated in sugar. **Tip** If you want a more professional look, coat the cookies a second time in the powdered sugar.


#halahbakes