Kourabiedes (Greek moon biscuits)
Kourabiedes are traditional Greek moon biscuits made with butter, almonds, brandy and a generous dusting of icing sugar. The Thermomix whips the butter to airy lightness and grinds the almonds finely, giving these crumbly festive biscuits their signature melt-in-the-mouth texture with minimal effort.
About this recipe
Kourabiedes Thermomix TM7 bring the most beloved Greek Christmas biscuits straight into your kitchen with an all-in-one kitchen machine doing the heavy lifting. These crescent-shaped moon biscuits owe their fame to one thing above all: an exceptionally crumbly, buttery texture that literally dissolves on the tongue. Achieving that texture by hand demands long, patient creaming of butter and sugar, but the TM7 whips unsalted butter with raw sugar into a pale, cloud-light cream in minutes, then incorporates the egg and brandy evenly without overworking the flour. The machine also grinds the slivered almonds to exactly the right fineness, so every biscuit carries a subtle nutty bite beneath its thick blanket of icing sugar. Whether you are preparing a festive dessert platter, edible gifts or a simple sweet snack with coffee, this kourabiedes recipe delivers bakery-quality results and makes traditional Greek holiday baking wonderfully accessible.
Preparation tips
- Use genuinely soft, room-temperature unsalted butter before whipping; cold butter will not aerate properly and your kourabiedes will turn dense rather than crumbly. Soft butter creams with the raw sugar into a pale, fluffy base in the Thermomix bowl.
- Handle the dough gently once the self raising flour goes in, and avoid kneading it firmly. Overworking develops gluten and toughens the biscuits, while a light touch keeps that characteristic melt-in-the-mouth Greek shortbread texture.
- Dust the warm baked biscuits with icing sugar twice: once while slightly warm so it clings, and again after cooling for a thick snowy finish. Store in an airtight tin with baking paper between layers for up to two weeks.
Recipe variations
- Alcohol-free version: simply replace the brandy with fresh orange juice or a teaspoon of orange blossom water. The biscuits keep their crumbly Greek character and become fully kid-friendly for a family Christmas table.
- Festive variation: add finely grated lemon zest and a pinch of ground cinnamon to the dough, or roll a whole roasted almond into each crescent before baking for the traditional hidden-treat version served at Greek weddings and holidays.
Thermomix TM7 Benefits
- Whipping the unsalted butter with raw sugar in the TM7 creates a pale, airy cream that guarantees crumbly kourabiedes.
- Grinding the slivered almonds in the Thermomix gives an even, fine texture so every biscuit bakes with consistent nutty flavour.
- Weigh the self raising flour directly into the TM7 bowl for gram-precise quantities, preventing dry or sticky dough.
- Mixing the egg and brandy into the butter cream with the Thermomix ensures a uniform dough without overworking the flour.
- Heating is fully controlled by the TM7, so you can melt butter gently beforehand without any risk of burning it.
Ingredients
- unsalted butter
- raw sugar
- egg
- brandy
- self-raising flour
- slivered almonds
- icing sugar