This post was sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.  All opinions expressed here are mine alone.

Meyer Lemon Greek Butter Cookies are an easy, buttery kourabiedes recipe with a refreshing citrus twist.  They’re perfect for your holiday baking!

Meyer Lemon Greek Butter Cookies {Kourabiedes} are classic Greek holiday cookies with a refreshing meyer lemon twist! @FlavortheMoment

February is officially over, and you know what that means — spring is coming, daylight savings time is near, and Easter is only a few short weeks away.

I wrapped my head around that fact a while ago, because I didn’t want Easter to come and go in a whirlwind like Christmas did for me.  I want to do plenty of  holiday baking, and I’m off to a good start already with these Greek butter cookies.

I’ve told you before that I’m part Greek, so these cookies were a huge part of the holidays for me growing up.  Greek butter cookies, or kourabiedes, are very traditional for Christmas, Greek Easter, and baptisms, and are normally baked with a whole clove inside.

They can be flavored with almonds, brandy or vanilla to name a few, and are either baked in crescent shapes or in balls as I’ve done here.

They’re similar to Mexican wedding cookies, Russian tea cakes, or snowball cookies as many people call them.  I’ve made them a little less traditional by flavoring them with plenty of fresh Meyer lemon juice and zest, and I think this is the best version ever.

I’m a huge fan of Bob’s Red Mill products, and I’ve put their Organic Unbleached All Purpose White Flour and Organic Almond Meal/Flour to great use in these cookies.

Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour and Almond Meal

The Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour is the same high protein flour used by professional bakers and produces high, well-textured loaves of bread just as well as it produces light, airy baked goods.  It’s incredibly versatile for all of your baking needs!

The Organic Almond Meal/Flour is ground from whole, blanched sweet almonds.  Almonds have a healthy boost of protein, they’re low in carbohydrates, and are naturally gluten free.

These products, as well as many other Bob’s Red Mill products, are staples in my pantry. I love swapping out part of the flour with almond meal in my baking to give baked goods a nutrition boost, as well as a boost in flavor.  The texture of these cookies is amazingly light and the almond flavor is the perfect compliment to the lemon.

Close up of meyer lemon kourabiedes on white plate with lemon

Why you’ll love this recipe:

  • Greek butter cookies are a lemony version of classic kourabiedes. They’re soft and buttery, and cloaked in the powdered sugar for the ultimate treat.
  • They’re very easy to make and are perfect for holiday baking.
  • They keep for weeks in an air tight container, which makes them great for holiday gift giving.

Recipe ingredients

There are just a few pantry staples in this recipe, along with meyer lemon juice. The lemon flavor truly sets these apart!

  • Flour. I used all purpose flour in this recipe and have not tried it with whole wheat or gluten-free flours.
  • Butter. Use unsalted butter to control the sodium in this recipe.
  • Powdered sugar. Powdered sugar is used to coat the cookies, and is also in the cookie dough. It contains cornstarch, which results in incredibly soft cookies.
  • Meyer lemon. Traditional kourabiedes do not include lemon juice or zest — this is simply my twist on a classic recipe. It may be omitted, or substituted with your favorite citrus. If you love key lime, try my key lime cookies!
  • Egg yolk. The egg yolk is used as a binder for the cookie dough.

How to make kourabiedes

The nice thing about these Greek butter cookies is that they’re incredibly easy to make.  There’s a decent amount of butter in this recipe (hence the title), and it’s creamed with powdered sugar and lemon zest for a few minutes until light and fluffy.

Pro tip: You may be wondering why you’d want to use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar, and that’s because powdered sugar contains cornstarch, which results in incredibly soft cookies.  These cookies are so soft that they pretty much melt in your mouth.

See the recipe card below for full instructions.

  1. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
  2. Beat the butter, powdered sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and lemon juice and beat until combined.
  3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on low just until the dough comes together. From there knead the dough together with your hands.
  4. Roll the dough into 1″ balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet about 1″ apart and bake for 18-20 minutes until lightly golden.
  5. Cool for 5-10 minutes, then roll the cookies in powdered sugar and allow to cool completely.
Meyer lemon kourabiedes on white plate with lemon slices

FAQs

What are kourabiedes made of?

Greek butter cookies, or kourabiedes, include flour, butter, powdered sugar and almonds. This recipe includes almond flour instead of ground almonds to make it easier, and also includes meyer lemon zest and juice for a citrusy twist.

What are kourabiedes?

Kourabiedes are a type of shortbread cookie that originated in Turkey, and are either shaped in balls or crescents. They’re similar to Russian tea cakes, Mexican wedding cookies, and snowball cookies, and are included in Greek Christmas and Easter celebrations.

Recipe notes

  • Pro tip:  Powdered sugar is used in the cookie dough as it includes cornstarch.  The cornstarch gives the cookies a soft, melt in your mouth texture.
  • Greek butter cookies keep for up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight container making them great to give as gifts for the holidays!
  • Traditional kourabiedes do not include lemon…this is simply my twist on a classic recipe.  You may omit it, or substitute it with your favorite citrus.  If you love key lime, be sure to try my key lime cookies!
meyer lemon Greek butter cookies kourabiedes on white plate with lemon slices

Did you try this recipe?  If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram

Meyer lemon Greek butter cookies or  kourabiedes on white plate with lemon slices

Meyer Lemon Greek Butter Cookies (Kourabiedes)

Meyer Lemon Greek Butter Cookies are easy, classic Greek kourabiedes with a refreshing citrus twist.  They're perfect for your holiday baking!
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached All Purpose White Flour
  • 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Organic Almond Flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar divided (use 2 more cups for rolling)
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • ¼ cup fresh meyer lemon juice or sub with your favorite citrus
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter with 1 cup of the powdered sugar and lemon zest at medium low speed with a hand mixer until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium high and cream until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolk and lemon juice and beat until incorporated.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat on low just until the dough starts to come together — it will still be in clumps. Knead the dough together with your hands in the bowl, and form the dough into 1″ balls.
  • Place on the prepared baking sheets 1″ apart and bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating halfway between baking, until the bottoms are golden brown. Remove from heat and cool on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes.
  • Place the remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Roll the cookies a few at a time in the powdered sugar and place on the wire rack to cool completely.
  • Once cooled, cookies may be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Pro tip:  Powdered sugar is used in the cookie dough as it includes cornstarch.  The cornstarch gives the cookies a soft, melt in your mouth texture.
  • Greek butter cookies keep for up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight container making them great to give as gifts for the holidays!
  • Traditional kourabiedes do not include lemon…this is simply my twist on a classic recipe.  You may omit it, or substitute it with your favorite citrus.  If you love key lime, be sure to try my key lime cookies!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 129kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 19mg, Sodium: 23mg, Potassium: 11mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 164IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to tag @flavorthemoments with the hashtag #flavorthemoments on Instagram so I can see what you made!

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