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These light, melt-in-your-mouth shortbreads are a popular Easter and Christmas biscuit in Greece. Great with coffee!
Prep time 20 minutes/Cook time 30 minutes/Makes 24
Ingredients:
75g (2 ½ oz) blanched almonds or walnuts
250g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
125g (4 ½ oz) icing sugar , plus extra for dusting
2 tablespoons brandy
1 large free-range egg yolk
300g (2/3 lb) plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
1 splash of orange blossom water
Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 160ºC/320°F/gas mark 2-3 and line two baking trays with greaseproof (waxed) paper.
Place the nuts on one of the trays and toast in the oven for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Cube the butter and place in a free-standing mixer then beat until pale and creamy. Sift in the icing sugar, then add the brandy and egg yolk, and continue to mix for a few more minutes.
Finely-chop the toasted nuts or blitz in a food processor, then add them to the butter mixture, along with the flour, baking powder and pinch of sea salt, then, using a metal spoon, fold it all together, until combined.
Roll spoonfuls of the mixture into balls, then mould each one into a traditional crescent shape – you could also make them into fingers, or cut them with a star cutter, whatever you like.
Arrange the biscuits on the second lined baking tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Add a generous amount of icing sugar to a small, deep tray. Very lightly brush the warm biscuits with orange blossom water, then pop them in the icing sugar tray and toss to coat.
Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
