Greek Christmas Filled Cookies

Cookies/Finikia/Melomakarona, a recipe from the East full of aromas and memories of lost homelands! Stuffed, traditional, Lenten and syrupy cookies.
The syruping is done in a saucepan and while the syrup is kept warm on a very low heat.
We prepare Finikia, which are consumed during the Lenten days before Christmas but also as a sweet delicacy for Christmas and New Year's Day along with the other Christmas desserts of the Twelve Days, such as Melomakarona, Kourabiedes, hills of fried honeyed Diples fragrant and fluffy Vasilopites! And even Isli, Christmas Bread, Kouloures, New Year's Loukoumades, Pancakes and other local sweets, festive, symbolic and ritual, that are prepared in every corner of Greece.
Yours!

Merry Christmas 2024! 🎄
Happy Holidays!

work: 1h:00′

time: 1h:30′

easy:

Chinese Almond Cookies

These cookies are the traditional and easiest dessert to celebrate Chinese New Year, the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It does not have a fixed date, in 2022 it was February 1 and the celebrations lasted 15 days.
As familiar as its ingredients are to us, it is nevertheless one of the most popular Chinese Pastries. They are made in every home and everyone contributes with them to the Chinese New Year Table. They are very easy to make and complete in less than 30 minutes. It is even said that they bring good luck in the New Year!
Super simple and clean materials that you probably already have in your closet. They are crunchy and buttery with a small amount of almond or vanilla extract and definitely a favorite in the crowd, young and old. In ours I replaced the sugar with Stevia, you choose what you like.

Good & Lucky Chinese New Year in the Year of the Tiger!

work: 15′

time: 30′

very easy:

Amigthalota-Greek Almond Biscuits

A very easy dessert with minimal fats, without butter & with minimal ingredients. Almonds ground as the main ingredient and egg whites, beaten in a meringue. Flavored with mastic of Chios Island and cherry liqueur. Their top is decorated with almond flakes and a candied cherry to give them their color, to make them more attractive.
One of the best, traditional delicacies is the almond cookies. The shape, as well as their aromas, vary from place to place. Almonds biscuits are generally made from whitened ground almonds or marzipan, egg whites meringue, and sometimes even semolina. They have pear, rosette, small hill, ball, crescent, etc. shapes.
Sometimes they are sprinkled with powdered sugar and become pure white, and sometimes they remain with the roasted almond crumb visible. The most famous are probably those from the island of Andros, where there is a traditional local industry. The Almond Biscuits of Andros are flavored with rose water.
In all of the Dodecanese, the Cyclades & the islands of the Northeast Aegean, Almond Biscuits are a classic delicacy offered at weddings and engagements…
Yours!

work: 20′

time: 1h:00′

easy:

Almond Pears-Amigthalota

The Argosaronic Islands, Cyclades, Dodecanese and all of our islands -and not only- make and celebrate with these Amigthalota/ Almonds Pears, snowy sweets of joy and hospitality to welcome new life, new names, new beginnings, and new pleasures. Snowy as the purity of the happy moments of our life and flavored with the essence of the blossoms of the sour orange.
As many as our islands are so many variations of this simple and such a beloved delicacy. Grated almond, egg white and fine semolina make up the basic principle to make these fragrant sweets and smell the home tradition and joy!
Yours!

work: 30′

time: 1h:00′

easy:

Apple Strudel

Although the contenders of its origin are the Austrians and Germans it does not concern us here, since pretty much all Central Europe and the Balkans have to show similar "pies" in roll form and fruit inside. Infinite variations but the combination of thin, crisp phyllo pastry sheet in layered form of the roll and the soft, sweet fruit inside is the winner of taste.
Wonderful aromas, mild acidic flavors, sweet surprises from the presence of the jam & raisins and very crispy phyllo pastry sheet make this dessert excellent. The almond ground offers refined tones on the palate.
Yours!

work: 30′

time: 1h:15′

medium:

Kourabiedes: Greek Christmas Butter Cookies

The Kourabiethes are the best known, loved and popular sweets in various forms and names in all Central Europe, Austria, Germany, and in some Eastern European countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.
In Greece is the most favorite Christmas dessert and although at first glance the sugared biscuit, crescent, circular or a mouthful, seems to be a rather unspectacular goody -only a little powdered sugar sprinkled upon a biscuit- between all the colorful Christmas buttered sweet cookies, truffles or chocolate treats is a clear favorite. The flavor and texture to win: It is a unique combination of butter and nuts and there is also the fact that melt in your mouth and have lovely crisp texture with roasted almond inside.
Follow the steps of the recipe and enjoy the tastiest kourabiedes ever!
Yours!

work: 1h:00′

time: 2h:00′

middle:

Almond Tart

Almond Tart with orange aromas. With grated base dough -Pâte Sablée- kneaded with poppy seeds. The aromatic stuffing of the tart has two layers. A first, thin, with apricot jam and a second with almond cream, made with blanched ground almonds, butter, orange zest, cherry brandy, eggs and sprinkled in the surface with almond slivers.
Refined, delicate, light, almost ethereal flavors, that only almonds can give us.
Yours!

work: 1h:30′

time: 2h:30′

medium:

M'Hanncha - Almond Filo Pastry

M'Hanncha is a traditional Moroccan dessert very popular and internationally known, made with crusty phyllo pastry sheets and marzipan filling. Wrapped in spiral and soaked with hot honey syrup flavored with orange zest, and rosewater.
Wonderful flavors and aromas of buttered, crunching phyllo sheets, essential oils of citrus, cinnamon and gentle sweetness of honey.
It is the Moroccan version of Greek Baklava.
M'Hanncha in Arabic means «snake» because of its shape.
Yours!

work: 30′

time: 1h:00′

medium:

Semolina & Yogurt Cake

The Semolina and Yogurt Cake is a dessert with dominant component the pure sheep's yoghurt, the one with the crust on top, which gives it a distinctive flavor. The coarse semolina, used for the preparation of, makes it fluffy and gives it a grainy texture. The ingredients are what remind us similar desserts like Ravani or Samali.
It is tasty and aromatic with a light syrupy texture without being flooded in the syrup. You can combine it with ice cream.
Yours!

work: 20′

time: 1h:00′

easy:

Coconut Macaroons

Soft tasty cookies without flour and therefore Gluten-Free and Low Carb. Made with dried, unsweetened coconut, almond powder and only the whites of eggs. If instead of sugar you use Stevia, then you will enjoy a full dietary dessert for those who wish or simply require them for nutritional reasons.
We create small oval or round cookies with the help of a spoon / ice cream scoop.
They are easy and cute.
Yours!

work: 30′

time: 1h:00′

easy:

Almond Cookies-Ergolavoi

A Dessert from the old days. When even at Athenian urban houses and bakeries where saying them macaroons. Ideal sweet/cookies, with delicate taste and subtle aromas of almonds and Orange Blossom Water.
Favorite traditional almond cookies, sprinkled with almond flakes and stuffed with jam between them or plain.
Yours!

work: 30′

time: 50′

easy:

Sour Cream Tart

Simple tart, made easy, with the main ingredients, the sour cream and marzipan. A thin layer of powdered sugar gives it other than sweet taste, and a decorating idea. Thin, wavy golden brown crust surrounds and holds the delicious filling.
Yours!

work: 20′

time: 1h:00′

easy:

Cauliflower Quiche Low Carb

Cauliflower combined with delicious ingredients such as cheeses, ham, almonds, ultimately resulting in a Low Carb dish for those who prefer it or abstain from carbohydrates without losing small tasty treats.
Simple, delicious Quiche and Low Carb!

work: 20′

time: 1h:00′

easy:

Almond Cake, Flourless-Low Carb

Cake Low Carb, no flour, no sugar, stevia, coconut, almonds and covered with a good dose of delicious, chocolaty coating.
Tastes, special and dietary, low carb flavors, tastes equally enjoyable for those who follow a gluten-free diet without sugar.
Enjoyable also by those who want a sweet without aggravating dietary factors.
Try it!

work: 30′

time: 01h:30′

easy:

Lemon Pie

Lemon pie, with whole slices of aromatic lemon, sprinkled with sugar to expel their juices and give us a unique and intensely flavored syrup.
Special lemon pie with strong flavors, on heavily palate tests.
If you like sour lemons combined with sweet and bitter notes an idea of citrus, try it!

work: 30′

time: 24h:00′

easy:

Lemon Friands

Mouthful mini Cakes (Friands), with the intense flavor and aroma of lemon and the subtle and gentle aftertaste of ground almonds.
There are not muffins, since they have different ingredients, and that determines the flavor characteristics and their name.
In a compact and easily consumable size, not to exaggerate in our culinary adventures.
Do not hesitate to try them. You will definitely enjoy something special and the kids will enjoy them!

work: 00h:10′

time: 00h:45′

very easy: 1/5

The recipe

Lemon Friands

can be found in the book «Γλυκά».

Author Zambia G. Sifaki

Almond Cake with Blueberries Sauce

White cake bathed in tasty and sweet blueberries sauce with a dark purple colour, given by this delicious fruit of the forest.
The blueberries are in the same family with cranberries. But, I think, that these berries are much tastier than their cousin.

work: 00h:30'

time: 01h:00'

easy: 2/5