Butter is a truly wonderful thing. Two sticks worth of butter in one cookie recipe is even MORE wonderful! In this greek butter cookie recipe, that is based off of Martha Stewart's mexican wedding cookies and another butter cookie recipe, more butter is definitely better. Never mind the fact that I've already eaten too many of these crunchy, perfumey, and sugar-coated little beauties - I can work it all off at the gym, right? I got the idea to make these cookies when I found a recipe for greek butter cookies at Whipped, one of the coolest food blogs out there! Caroline, the founder of Whipped, has a husband who is Greek, and they make butter cookies similar to these, scented with rose water, filled with crunchy almonds, and doused with powdered sugar. Just look at these babies....
Seeing that greek butter cookie recipe got me going on a knowledge quest for what is truly "greek" about them. Rose water (which can be found at specialty food stores, candy shops, or some grocery stores) is definitely a common thread among recipes, and the nuts go anywhere from walnuts to almonds to pistachios. I chose pistachios because they taste just so good with the buttery dough! With my butter, my rose water, and my pistachios on hand, I commenced the baking of some of the best cookies I've ever made.
The recipe is dead simple. Just pulse together the pistachios, flour, salt, and cinnamon in a food processor (or even a blender if you don't have one). Cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla and rose water, add the dry ingredients, combine, and you have a killer dough for a killer cookie. Basically, any kind of sweet, buttery baked good coated in powdered sugar is a must-have in my book....
Greek Butter Cookies
* Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart @ marthastewartweddings.com
1/2 cup pistachios nuts (shelled)
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon rose water (this is optional if you cannot find it - I found mine in a candy shop!)
To a food processor, add the pistachios, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Pulse the mixture until the pistachios are nicely chopped (if you don't have a food processor, you can easily chop the nuts separately and add to the flour, salt, and cinnamon). In the bowl of a standing mixer, or with a hand-held mixer, combine the softened butter, 1 cup of powdered sugar, vanilla, and rose water until pale and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix!). Place the remaining 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar in a large bowl and set aside.
Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball (dough may be crumbly) and place on a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet. Repeat until you have 20 dough balls on the sheet (about 5 rows of 4). Press the dough down gently so the bottom is a little bit flat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are light golden brown. Cool slightly, then coat the cookies in the 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar while they're still a bit warm. Let cool completely on a plate before enjoying!
Seeing that greek butter cookie recipe got me going on a knowledge quest for what is truly "greek" about them. Rose water (which can be found at specialty food stores, candy shops, or some grocery stores) is definitely a common thread among recipes, and the nuts go anywhere from walnuts to almonds to pistachios. I chose pistachios because they taste just so good with the buttery dough! With my butter, my rose water, and my pistachios on hand, I commenced the baking of some of the best cookies I've ever made.
The recipe is dead simple. Just pulse together the pistachios, flour, salt, and cinnamon in a food processor (or even a blender if you don't have one). Cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla and rose water, add the dry ingredients, combine, and you have a killer dough for a killer cookie. Basically, any kind of sweet, buttery baked good coated in powdered sugar is a must-have in my book....
Greek Butter Cookies
* Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart @ marthastewartweddings.com
1/2 cup pistachios nuts (shelled)
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon rose water (this is optional if you cannot find it - I found mine in a candy shop!)
To a food processor, add the pistachios, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Pulse the mixture until the pistachios are nicely chopped (if you don't have a food processor, you can easily chop the nuts separately and add to the flour, salt, and cinnamon). In the bowl of a standing mixer, or with a hand-held mixer, combine the softened butter, 1 cup of powdered sugar, vanilla, and rose water until pale and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix!). Place the remaining 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar in a large bowl and set aside.
Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball (dough may be crumbly) and place on a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet. Repeat until you have 20 dough balls on the sheet (about 5 rows of 4). Press the dough down gently so the bottom is a little bit flat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are light golden brown. Cool slightly, then coat the cookies in the 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar while they're still a bit warm. Let cool completely on a plate before enjoying!
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