Armenian Kurabia Cookies
Tender Armenian butter cookies dusted in powdered sugar, the Armenian cousin of Greek kourabiedes. Made with butter, sugar, flour and vanilla and baked low and slow.
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Cost: about $5
Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- ½ pound unsalted butter 1 cup or 2 sticks, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar (confectioners sugar), sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus up to ¼ cup more if the dough is sticky
- ½ cup powdered sugar for dusting, divided
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Beat the room temperature butter (soft, not melted) on medium high for 4 to 5 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth.
- Add the flour a little at a time, mixing just until a soft, pliable dough forms.
- Chill the dough until it is firm enough to roll without sticking to your fingers: 15 to 20 minutes in the fridge or 6 to 8 minutes in the freezer.
- Heat the oven to 300°F with a rack in the middle.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie. Roll each piece into a 5 to 6 inch rope about as thick as your pinky.
- Curl one end toward the center and the other end the opposite way to make an S. Place on the lined sheets about 1 inch apart.
- Chill the shaped cookies in the fridge for 10 minutes so they hold their S shape.
- Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack for 17 to 18 minutes, until the tops look dry and pale and the bottoms are just slightly golden. They will still be soft.
- Let the cookies cool on the sheet. Do not move them until they have cooled; they firm up as they cool.
- About 5 minutes after they come out of the oven, sift ¼ cup powdered sugar over the warm cookies. Right before serving, dust with the remaining ¼ cup.
Notes
Read before you bake: this is a simple recipe, but every step matters. Whip the butter for the full 4 to 5 minutes, chill the dough before shaping, chill the shaped cookies again for 10 minutes, and take them out while they are still soft. They firm up as they cool.
Yield: about 2 dozen S cookies. Double the recipe for about 3 ½ to 4 dozen.
Walnuts: mix finely chopped walnuts into the dough or press a walnut half on top.
Storage: keep in an airtight tin at room temperature. To freeze, do the first ¼ cup dusting, skip the final dusting and freeze in a hard container with parchment between layers for up to 3 months. Thaw in the closed container, then dust.