Greek almond cookies

Leftover egg whites had been sitting in my fridge since I used the yolks in a custard tart. I thought about making meringues but then I came across a recipe for kourabiedes. I had all the ingredients needed already in the cupboard, so I went with it with some alterations.

Greek almond cookies

Ingredients

yields 15-18 cookies

2⅔ C (200g) ground almonds, sifted

⅓ C (50g) coconut nectar, sifted

≤ ⅓ C (50g) demerara sugar

zest of 1 large unwaxed orange

2 (≈90g) egg whites 

1 tsp almond essence

1 C almond flakes, sprinkled on a large plate

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix the sifted ground almonds, coconut nectar, demerara sugar, and orange zest together.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites for a few seconds until the egg whites are broke up.
   
3. Mix half of the egg whites into the almond mix until fully combined.
4. Mix in the other half of the egg whites. The mixture should be soft and sticky.
5. Chill the dough for 20-30 minutes in the freezer.
   
6. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
7. Lay the sticky dough on a large piece of cling film. Roll the dough out to a large slab, about 18" long.
   
8. Divide the dough into 15-18 pieces. Roll each piece in the flaked almonds and mould into a round shape.
9. Place on a lined baking tray or silicon mat.
   
10. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on the tray/mat for 10 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.
    

To be honest, when I was dividing the dough and rolling each piece in the almond flakes, I thought this was going to be a complete failure. The dough was extremely soft and sticky and wouldn't come off my hands clean. I ended up having to wash my hands a few times just preparing 15 cookies. I wasn't sure if I had used too much egg whites or almond essence to make the dough so sticky and unmalleable. The first couple of pieces were easier to roll and shape, so the temperature might have been part of the problem here as well. Two possible solutions come to mind: 1) Rather than rolling out the dough, I'd keep the dough as a big ball in the bowl. And then rather than using my hands to roll and shape the cookies, I'd use a spoon to roll a tablespoon of the dough into a log, then form into a crescent shape (as kourabiedes should be), and then roll through the almond flakes to coat. 2) When the dough is mixed and gathered into a large smooth ball, wrap it in cling film and place it in the freezer for 30-45 minutes (or in the fridge for a day or two). Make sure the dough is as cold as a stick of butter before rolling it out.

Another thing I'd change is the amount of sugar. The original recipe called for 100g of castor sugar. I swapped castor sugar for a 50:50 mix of coconut nectar and demerara, but I do find it too sweet. I think for 200g of ground almonds, 50-70g of sugar is enough.

In the end, the cookies were rather tasty. The texture is crumbly and slightly chewy. They are akin to frangipane both flavour and texture wise, which I suppose is no surprise given the base ingredients. And while I'm not a fan of frangipane (I vetoed the lovely frangipane tart that Husband liked at the dessert tasting for our wedding), I don't mind nibbling away at these cookies with a strong cup of tea.