Irene's Cretan biscuits (Greek almond cookies) - All Topics Base

By:Nagi

Printed:4 Oct ’24Up to date:4 Oct ’24

These conventional Greek Cretan biscuits are right here courtesy of Irene, the very Greek mom of my very Greek hairdresser. Does it shock anyone that I spend more often than not on the salon discussing meals with all people and anyone? 😂

Meet Irene, beloved native Greek grandmother and baker

For those who love buttery shortbread biscuits and almond cookies, you’ll adore at the moment’s Greek Cretan Biscuits. However first, I would like you to satisfy Irene!

Irene Diane Angela-Deange Hair - Greek Cretan Biscuits — Irene along with her well-known Cretan Cookies and her daughters, Angela (left) and Diane (proper) on the household hair salon Deange Hair.

My hairdresser Deange Hair is run by two Greek sisters, Angela and Diane, in a small store hooked up to their mother and father’ home. On any given day, the salon buzzes with clients getting their hair accomplished as they nibble home made cookies whereas younger kids dart across the store. Irene, the household matriarch, holds court docket with purchasers as she interjects with “recommendation” for her daughters as they work with scrumptious aromas wafting in from her kitchen.

You may even catch her doing a weekly audit of her biscuit gross sales to make sure her daughters aren’t shortchanging her. “Make sure that this cash goes to your mum!” I sternly remind Angela and Diane each time I purchase some. 😂

It’s a splendidly acquainted scene that gives a lot amusement to regulars.

Of all of the home made cookies I’ve tried (and I’m fairly certain I’ve tried all of them!), the Greek Cretan biscuits have been my favorite. Thanks Irene for sharing your recipe!

About Irene’s Cretan Biscuits

What – Conventional Greek cookies from the island of Crete.
Style – Like almond flavoured shortbread cookies. Superbly buttery with a mushy crumble.
Look – Formed like a mound (good and hefty to chew into!) and adorned with almond flakes which add further almond flavour in addition to texture.
Problem – Easy. Rolling the cookies is what takes the longest, however you are able to do this at a leisurely tempo whereas chatting on the telephone to your finest good friend!
How a lot I like them – Quite a bit! Excessive sentimental attachment due to the recipe supply.
Make for workplace morning tea, e-book membership, faculty bake sale and simply because.

Elements in Irene’s Cretan Biscuits

Right here’s what it is advisable make Irene’s Cretan Biscuits.

biscuit dough

Blanched almonds – These are skinless almonds which have been blanched (did the identify give it away?? 😂) which means they’ve been briefly boiled in water so the pores and skin comes off simply. These almonds are softer and have a extra refined almond flavour than common roasted almonds. They’re additionally chosen for aesthetic causes whenever you don’t need the darkish brown almond pores and skin in meals, like in these Cretan Cookies.
Can you employ common almonds with skins? Yep, you certain can and the flavour will likely be related. However put together your self for little darkish brown bits inside your cookies!
Butter – Provides these cookies the divine buttery flavour paying homage to shortbread cookies. I want to make use of unsalted then add my very own quantity of salt. However for those who solely have salted that’s fantastic, simply skip the salt within the recipe.
Flour – Simply plain / all-purpose flour. Observe: Irene’s unique recipe known as for self elevating flour. See FAQ for what and why I deviated from her unique recipe!
Baking powder – That is what makes the cookies rise into these great little mounds! ⚠️ Don’t substitute with baking soda (bi-carbonate soda), the cookies will style metallic. Additionally, in case your baking powder has been mendacity dormant for months in your pantry, verify it’s nonetheless alive earlier than beginning the recipe (directions right here, it’s lifeless straightforward).
Egg – Use a “massive egg” which is offered in cartons labelled as “massive eggs”. They’re ~50g/2 ounceseach in shells. Eggs in a carton aren’t all the identical weight as a result of these darn hens, they’re so egocentric, how dare they not lay eggs precisely the identical weight each time! The purpose of offering a measurement information is so that you don’t use a huge ostrich egg or tiny quail egg….the recipe is not going to work! 🙂
Make sure that your egg is at room temperature, not fridge chilly. else you’ll battle to get it combined into the butter correctly.
Vanilla extract – For flavour. Vanilla extract trumps vanilla essence (imitation). I wouldn’t use dear vanilla beans in a recipe like this!

Adorning

Egg white – Used to brush the highest of the biscuits to make the almond flakes stick. Use the yolk plus leftover egg whites to your morning scrambled eggs or omelette!
Almond flakes – For adorning the floor. Not essential, however a pleasant to have for each further almond flavour plus visible. I’d plough forward with this recipe if I used to be out!

Methods to make Irene’s Cretan Cookies

It is a simple cookie recipe. Nevertheless, this part has a good quantity of descriptions so even novice bakers can have faith making this recipe. For professional bakers, head straight to the abbreviated instructions on the recipe card beneath!

1. crushed ALMOND BITs

Roast almonds – Pop the almonds within the oven for 7 minutes to toast them flippantly. This can depth the almond flavour however received’t make the almonds too brown (we would like them to remain white so it’s invisible within the cookies).
Roasting shouldn’t be a necessary step as a result of the cookies are pretty as is. However it does convey out the almond flavour. It’s particularly good to do that if you’re utilizing almonds a bit on the outdated aspect. 🙂
Bash or blitz – Use a meals processor or a ziplock bag and rolling pin to bash the almonds into little crumbs. We’re not going for finely floor almonds right here. If we had been, the recipe would use almond meal as an alternative! I describe the items as “coarse sand plus some bigger bits” as a result of whichever methodology you employ, it’s arduous to get the almonds all uniform in measurement. And that’s what we would like, as a result of it’s truly very nice to have little bits of almonds within the cookies!

2. BISCUIT MIXTURE

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt collectively then put them apart.
Cream the butter and sugar till it’s gentle and fluffy, like mushy spreadable butter. It takes about 1 1/2 minutes on medium excessive.
Software – I want to make use of a handheld beater as a result of you’ll be able to transfer it across the bowl so that you don’t really want to scrape the edges down. If you wish to use a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment and scrape down the edges of the bowl at the very least twice.

Egg and vanilla – Then beat the egg and vanilla into the butter combination. It’d look a bit curdled however don’t fear, it should come collectively as soon as we add the flour.
⚠️ Essential to make sure the egg is at room temperature as it should incorporate into the butter combination extra simply. Fridge chilly egg is not going to combine in correctly.
Flour combination in 3 tons – Beat within the flour combination in 3 tons. By this, I imply add 1/3 of the flour and beat on medium pace till the flour is nearly combined in ie some specks of white is ok, about 5 seconds with the beater. Begin on low then improve the pace to medium (for those who begin on excessive there will likely be a flour storm!). Then repeat this twice extra till all of the flour is used up.

Crushed almonds – Then lastly, add the bashed almonds and beat till the flour is absolutely combined in.
Completed dough – That is what it appears like. Shaggy however mushy, rollable right into a clean ball.

3. MAKING THE COOKIES

Use no matter methodology you discover best to roll 30 x 2 tablespoon balls (30 ml). The steps beneath depict the strategy I discover to be the quickest to make even measurement cookies.

Trays – You will want 2 massive baking trays. Calmly grease with butter or spray with oil then cowl with baking paper (parchment paper).
Scoop first – Use a #40 (2 tbsp) cookie scoop to scoop and dollop the cookie dough into mounds on baking trays. It’s best to nearly get 30 cookies for those who fill the news with out air bubbles and “smear” it up the aspect of the bowl to degree the floor.

Roll and flatten – Working one cookie at a time, I roll the dough right into a clean ball then barely flatten to about 2 cm / 0.8″ thick.
Then place the cookies 4 cm / 1.6″ aside on the trays. I do 15, being 3 rows of 5 cookies on every tray They don’t broaden outwards that a lot however we would like enough warmth circulating round every cookie so that they cook dinner correctly.
Almond topping – Brush the highest with the egg white them place a pinch of almond flakes on prime (no have to press in, egg glues them on).

Bake each trays collectively for 20 minutes or till the cookies within the center are gentle golden and those of the sting of the tray are barely extra golden.
Cool 5 minutes on the tray then switch onto a rack to chill for at the very least an extra 10 minutes earlier than attacking! (Sizzling cookies = fragile / mouth burns. Both state of affairs shouldn’t be supreme). Whereas usually eaten at room temperature as soon as cooled, they are surely further particular when heat and contemporary out of the oven.

Issues of storage – and crucial factor

As soon as absolutely cool, retailer in an hermetic container within the pantry, not the fridge. They keep contemporary for five days and nonetheless very, superb at 7 days, making them glorious for…..oh, I don’t know. Promoting on the counter of your hair salon? 😂

Whereas shelf life data is beneficial, I do know what you’re all ready for – Irene’s assessment of my Cretan Biscuits! Very comfortable to report that she gave them a giant thumbs up. 👍🏻 PHEW!!! – Nagi x

Greek Cretan Biscuits FAQ

Watch easy methods to make it

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Irene’s Cretan biscuits (Greek almond cookies)

Meet Irene, beloved native Greek grandmother and baker

About Irene’s Cretan Biscuits