Kourabiedes (Traditional Christmas Cookies)

For 60-70 small cookies

Ingredients
725 gr. plain flour (all-purpose flour)
400 gr. fresh butter in room temperature
125 gr. icing sugar

200 gr. unsalted almonds, toasted and crushed with skins
5 gr. baking powder
1 table spoon vanilla extract, or 1/2 tea spoon vanillin
zest and juice of 1 orange

rosewater to spray
1/2 kg. icing sugar for dusting
Optionally, 60-70 whole almonds for stuffing

Preparation
1. To knead with a mixer: With the wire whip, blend very well the butter with 125 gr. icing sugar, untill fluffy. Change with the dough hook, and add sifted the flour with the baking powder and in the end add the almonds, the vanilla and the orange. Blend for 5 minutes, untill the dough is soft and doesn't stick. 

To knead by hand: Place the butter with 125 gr. of icing sugar in a big bowl. With a whisk or a hand mixer blend very well, untill fluffy. Add sifted the flour with the baking powder and continue to knead by hand. for 5 minutes. Then add the almonds, the vanilla and the orange and continue kneading untill all ingredients are fully incorporated, and the dough is soft and doesn't stick on the hands. 

2. Shape balls from 20 to 25 gr. each. If you like, you could place a whole almond in the center of each ball. Place them on a sheet with non-sticking paper, and press gently with the fingers on the top of each ball, to slightly flatten. 

3. Preheat the oven to 340º F (170º C) and bake the cookies for 25 minutes.

4. Remove the cookies from the oven. Immedietely spray them with the rosewater on both sides, dip them in a bowl full of icing sugar and turn them gently untill well covered. Place them on a platter and sprinkle them with the remaining icing sugar using a sieve.

Enjoy!