Greek Wedding Shortbread

These are kourabiedes, the snow-white Greek butter cookies traditionally served at weddings, christenings, and Christmas. The single clove pressed into the top is the giveaway, an old custom said to symbolize the spices the Magi brought to the Christ child.

The magic is in the powdered sugar burial. Hot cookies straight from the oven get nestled into a thick bed of powdered sugar and then completely covered while still warm. The sugar partially melts into the buttery surface and forms a soft, snowy coating that’s structurally part of the cookie, not just a dusting on top. After cooling 4 hours and getting another sugar shower before serving, each cookie is whisper-light and powdery.

The alcohol choice matters. Ouzo is the most traditional Greek option, with its anise flavor adding a faint licorice note. Brandy or whiskey work and give the cookie a deeper, warmer aromatic. Two tablespoons doesn’t taste boozy in the finished cookie; the alcohol bakes off, leaving just the flavor.

The dough should beat to the consistency of mayonnaise after the egg yolk and alcohol. That description sounds odd until you see it: thick, smooth, glossy.

Roll the dough between flour-dusted palms. The cookies don’t spread much in the oven, so 1½-inch balls give 1½-inch cookies.

Pro Tips

• Sift the powdered sugar before using both in the dough and for the coating. Lumps in the sugar coating ruin the snowy appearance.
• The clove on top is decorative only. Most people pluck them out before eating; warn guests or remind them.
• Don’t try to move the cookies into sugar before they are baked. Hot is correct, cold is wrong. The heat is what makes the sugar adhere.
• Store in airtight tins between layers of waxed paper. They keep for 2 weeks at room temperature and the sugar coat protects them from drying out.

Variations

• Add 1 cup of finely chopped toasted almonds to the dough for a nuttier, more traditional version.
• Swap the alcohol for orange flower water or rose water for a Middle Eastern-style aromatic.
• Skip the clove and dust with cocoa powder mixed with powdered sugar for a chocolate-dusted variation.