Recipes For Traditional Greek Christmas Sweets

 

Christmas in Greece, as anywhere else in the world, involves large quantities of food.

 In any Greek home over the Christmas season, kourabides, melomakarona and dipples, can be found piled high on plates, ready to be offered to any visitor who might drop by.

 Maybe I should say, forced on, rather than offered!

 Greek people are so hospitable; they love to look after you, and that means feeding you, whether you’re hungry or not!

 It is very difficult to refuse food offered to you by a Greek they just will not take no for an answer!

 I must have eaten hundreds of kourabiedes and melomakarona, the main Greek Christmas sweets, over my many Christmas’s in Greece.

 Luckily, I like them both, they’re delicious.

 

 Recipes for Traditional Greek Christmas treats:

Kourabiedes-Melomakarona-Diples-Baklava-Christopsomo

 

 I’m ashamed to say, I haven’t tried making any of these, each Christmas we are absolutely awash with these sweets, given to us by my husband’s (MGG – My Greek God)large family, friends and neighbours.

 I’ve chosen the sweet recipes from a reliable, Greek recipe site, My Greek Dish, whatever I’ve cooked and baked, following their recipes, has turned out to be delicious, the recipes don’t seem too difficult, well maybe the baklava but I think it looks more time-consuming rather than difficult.

For the Christopsomo, I chose the recipe from Kopiaste, another reliable Greek recipe site, again whichever dishes you may decide to try from here, turn out a treat.

 

Kourabiedes

 

Greek Christmas cookies, buttery and crumbly and dusted with icing sugar.

They remind me a bit of English shortbread but softer.

Easiest homemade Kourabiedes recipe by My Greek Dish

 

Ingredients

 

250g butter made from cow’s milk, cold (9 ounces) (unsalted)

 150g almonds, roughly chopped or almond slivers, roasted (6 ounces)

 50g almonds (whole) or almond slivers, raw (1.8 ounces). Alternatively you can also give pistachios a try

 75g icing sugar (2.7 ounces)

 1 tbsp rose water

 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 1 tbsp baking powder

 a pinch of salt

 300g all-purpose flour (10.6 ounces)

 Lots of icing sugar for powdering

 

Method

 

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Centigrade

To prepare kourabiedes, start by roasting the almonds.

Place the roughly chopped almonds (150g/ 6 ounces) or almond silvers on a baking tray and sprinkle with some water.

Bake them for 7-8 minutes, until roasted, being careful not to burn them. Set aside or put in the fridge to cool.

 In a blender, add the raw almonds (50g/ 1.8 ounces) or the pistachios and blend, until powdered. Set aside.

 In a food processor, add the cold butter and sugar; mix for about 10 seconds, until the butter ‘breaks’ and sugar is completely dissolved.

Add the powdered almonds, a pinch of salt, the rosewater and the vanilla extract; mix for 10-20 seconds, until combined. At the end, add the baking powder and flour and mix again for 10-15 seconds.

 Place the mixture in a large bowl and add the roasted almonds; blend lightly with your hands.

For the kourabiedes to remain fluffy, it is important that the butter doesn’t warm up and melt, so wait for a while for the roasted almonds to cool before adding them to the butter mixture.

Wear plastic gloves, when blending with your hands, so that the temperature of your hands doesn’t warm up the butter.

 Layer the bottom of 2 baking trays with parchment paper and form the kourabiedes; roll 1 tbsp of the dough into a ball, place on the baking tray and push with your finger in the middle, to form a little dimple. Continue with the rest of the dough.

 Place the baking trays with the kourabiedes in second and fourth rack of the oven and turn the heat down to 180C.

Bake for approx. 18-20 minutes or until they have a very faint golden tint and are cooked through. Be careful not to overbake them. (Leave the kourabiedes aside to cool down for a while. If you try to lift them, while still warm, they will break.)

 Spray the kourabiedes with rosewater and drench with sifted with icing sugar.

 

Melomakarona

 

 

Melomakarona; moist, spicy, full of honey and covered with chopped walnuts are never missing from any Greek Christmas table.

Melomakarona recipe by My Greek Dish

 

 Ingredients for melomakarona

 

150g Fine semolina (5.3 ounces)

 500g flour (soft) (17.6 ounces)

 1/2 tbsp baking powder

 100g orange juice (3.5 ounces)

 3 tbsps cognac

 100g sugar (3.5 ounces)

 1 flat tbsp powdered cinnamon

1/3 tsp nutmeg (powder)

  1/3 tsp clove (powder)

 

For the syrup

 

300g water (10 ounces)

 600g sugar (20 ounces)

 90g glucose (3 ounces)

 2 cinnamon sticks

 3 whole cloves

 1 orange, cut in half

 180g honey (7 ounces)

 

To garnish

 

200g chopped walnuts (7 ounces)

 Powdered cinnamon (optional)

 Powdered clove (optional)

 

Method

 

Preheat the oven at 180C. Layer the bottom of 2 baking trays with parchment paper and start shaping the melomakarona.

  Pinch a portion of dough about the size of a walnut/ 50g (or bigger, if you prefer) and shape with your palms into a smooth oblong shape, like a small egg.

  Place on the baking tray, push lightly the top with a fork and make some holes on top (not all the way down). Continue with the rest of the dough.

Place the baking trays with the melomakarona in the oven and bake for approx. 20 minutes, until the melomakarona are lightly browned and cooked through.

 When the melomakarona come out of the oven, place them in the cold syrup, flipping them with a slotted spoon to absorb the syrup for approx, 10-20 seconds, depending on how syrupy you like them.

 (When syrupying the melomakarona it’s best do so in 2-3 batches). Remove the cookies using a slotted spoon, place on a platter and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

 Store the melomakarona at room temperature in an airtight container. They will last for all your Christmas Holidays!

 

 Diples

 

Diples are a typical dessert in the Peloponnese made from thin sheets of folded  dough (hence the name “diples”, which in Greek means, folded) and deep fried.

They’re then sprinkled with chopped nuts, and drizzled with warm honey

 Diples recipe by My Greek Dish

 

  Ingredients

 2 level tbsps sugar

2 level tbsps baking soda

350-400g all-purpose flour (12-14 ounces)

 5 eggs (divided into yolks and whites)

 Juice of 1 lemon

 Juice of 1 orange

 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

 1/2 cup corn oil

 A pinch of salt

 Vegetable oil for frying

 

For the syrup

 

 1/4 of a cup sugar

 1/4 of cup water

 1/2 cup honey

 Juice of 1/2 lemon

 1 cinnamon stick

 150g chopped walnuts, for garnish (5 ounces)

 

Method

 

Place the egg whites into the bowl of the electric mixer, along with a pinch of salt. Make sure your egg whites, bowl and whisk attachments are clean and free of any water.

 Whisk the egg whites until the mixture is very thick and glossy and a long trailing peak forms when the whisk is lifted (meringues).

Add the egg yolks one at a time, whilst mixing; wait for each one to be absorbed, before adding another.

  In a cup add the orange and lemon juice and baking soda and blend, until dissolved and pour in the egg mixture. Add the white wine vinegar and the sugar and mix.

 Pour the mixture in a large bowl or basin and sift in the flour; add the oil and knead the dough using your hands, until smooth and elastic, and not sticky (if it is sticky, add some more flour).

Separate the dough in four pieces, cover with some plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Using a rolling pin, roll out each part of the dough into thin rectangle sheets. Now you have to make a decision, whether you want to go the easy or the hard way!

Diples get their name from the Greek word for “fold.” This means that you have to fold them, so if you have the time, go for the traditional version.

 Using a roller cutter, cut the rolled out dough into rectangular pieces (approx. 12×25 cm).

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, until shimmering but not smoking hot.

 Place a cut dough sheet in the hot oil.

  Using two large cooking forks, and placing the edge between the tines of the fork, hold the end furthest away from you and roll the sheet away from you.

  Hold it a little with the fork in the oil, until coloured and place on some kitchen paper to drain. Repeat with the rest. (It’s best to cut all the diples before you begin frying.)

 For the easy version, using a rolling cutter cut the rolled out dough into rectangular pieces (approx. 10x5cm) or square pieces (8×8 cm).

 Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and deep fry the diples in batches of 3-4 at a time, depending on the how large is the pan, pushing them down with a fork and flipping them sides, until coloured.

 Place on some kitchen paper to drain and repeat with the rest.

Prepare the syrup for the diples. Pour in a pot all the syrup ingredients and bring to the boil; boil for 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved (do not stir the syrup).

Place the diples on a serving platter and drizzle with the syrup (or if you like them extra syrupy, soak each one in the syrup for a few seconds). Sprinkle with ground walnuts and cinnamon.

 Alternatively, just warm up the honey, drizzle the diples and garnish with chopped walnuts.

 

Baklava

 

 

Baklava, a mixture of chopped nuts, honey and spices, spread between layers of crisp filo pastry and soaked in a lemony syrup.

Baklava recipe by My Greek Dish

 

For the baklava

 

 25-30 sheets of phyllo dough

 500g (17 oz.) walnuts, chopped (or a mix of walnuts, pistachios and almonds)

 2 tsps cinnamon powder

 2 tsps grounded clove

 300g butter, melted (10 oz.)

Some whole cloves for garnish (optional)

 

For the syrup

 

600g sugar (20 oz.)

 400g water (14 oz.)

 80g glucose or honey (2.8 oz.)

 Zest of 1 lemon or orange

 1 cinnamon stick

 

Method

 

To prepare this baklava recipe, start by melting the butter in a saucepan over low heat, being careful not to burn it.

 Using a cooking brush, butter the bottom and sides of a baking pan. (For this baklava recipe you will need a large baking pan approx. 40 – 30cm). Begin by layering the sheets of phyllo on the bottom of the baking dish to form the base of the baklava.

  Layer the sheets one at a time, making sure to sprinkle each one with melted butter. Use about 10-12 layers on the bottom side of the Baklava.

 In a large bowl, mix the chopped nuts, the cinnamon and grounded clove. Sprinkle the nut mixture over the phyllo base and continue forming the top of the baklava.

  Top the nuts with the rest phyllo sheets (10 of them), sprinkling each one with melted butter and brush the top of the baklava with enough butter. You could also try layering the Baklava, adding a couple of sheets in between layers of filling if you’d like your baklava with extra nuts!

 Place the baklava in the fridge for 15 minutes to make it easier to cut into pieces. Remove the baklava from the fridge and using a sharp knife cut the cut the pastry all the way down into pieces.

  If you fancy the taste of clove, place one whole clove berry into the middle of each baklava piece and sprinkle the top with some cold water.

Place the baklava in preheated oven at 150C on the lower rack (both top and bottom heating elements on) and bake for about 1 1/2- 2 hours, until all the phyllo layers are crisp and golden.

Prepare the syrup for the baklava.

  Into a small pot mix all the ingredients for the syrup and bring to the boil. Boil for about 2 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Take it off the heat and let it cool down. As soon as the baklava is ready, ladle slowly the cold syrup over the hot baklava, until it is fully absorbed.

 Let the baklava cool down completely and serve after the syrup has soaked in throughout.

 

Christopsomo

 

 

Christ’s bread; bread made with a sweet dough and decorated with the sign of the cross, or X, the Greek sign for Christ; hence Xmas.

There are many different customs for christopsomo, some families decorate it with family initials, or with symbols of family professions.

 Others leave pieces of christopsomo on the table when going to bed, believing that Christ will visit, and eat it.

 Another custom is that the father or head of the family, holds the whole loaf, above his head, and breaks it in half with his hands.

 He then inspects it, if the piece in his right hand is the largest, the coming year will be full of luck, health and happiness for the family.

 If the larger piece is in the left hand, well, things don’t look so rosy for them!

 

 Recipe Christopsomo by Kopiaste

 

Preheat oven at 180 degrees C

2 kilos bread flour or all-purpose flour

 1 teaspoon salt

 2 tablespoons dry yeast (18 grams)

 1 cup lukewarm warm water (105F, 40C)

 1 cup warm red dry wine

½ cup olive oil

½ cup orange juice

 ¼ cup brandy

 2 tsps grated orange zest

 1 ½ cups sugar

 1 cup raisins

 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

 1 cup almonds coarsely chopped or pine nuts

 1 tablespoon pounded mastic resin or 1 tablespoon crushed anise seeds

 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 1 teaspoon ground cloves

 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed

 ½ teaspoon cardamom seeds, crushed

 

For the Topping

 

Milk

2 whole walnuts

 Sesame seeds

 

Method

 

           Mix the yeast with 1/2 cup of warm water and ¼ οf flour, stir until dissolved.

Cover with plastic membrane and clean napkins or even a small blanket and leave it to rest all evening.

 Next day, in a large mixing bowl, sift 2/3 of the remaining flour and add salt.

Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture, the warm water and wine.

Mix until a soft dough forms, cover with plastic membrane and a damp towel, and set aside to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in bulk.

 Punch the dough down and knead for several minutes until any air pockets are gone. Sift in the remaining flour, add the oil, orange juice, brandy, and grated orange peel.

In a small bowl, mix the sugar, raisins, walnuts, pine nuts, mastic resin or anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cardamom and nutmeg until blended, and add to the dough.

 Knead well until the dough is firm and doesn’t stick (about 10 minutes), cover, and allow to rise for 1/2 hour.

 Line two 26 cm baking tins with parchment paper and lightly brush with oil.

 Shape the bread into two circular loaves, about 8 inches in diameter, keeping a fistful of dough for decoration.

 Pat the dough back into shape to rise.

 When raised, use the small pieces of dough to create designs… roll them out into strips and coil around whole walnuts pressed into the top, or make them into the shapes of your choice and place on top of the loaves.

 Cover with plastic membrane, a dry cloth and a damp cloth over that, and place in a warm place to rise again, until doubled in size.

 Brush the bread with milk and scatter with sesame seeds.

 Bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes, depending on your oven.

 Remove from oven and cool on a rack.

 

Preparation tip:

 

If it is a cold day, prepare a meal which needs to be baked in the oven. This way the kitchen will be warm and will enable the dough to rise.

Use a mortar and pestle to crush the anise seed, coriander, cardamom, cloves and mastic resin or an electric spice grinder.

 

Merry Christmas to one and all

 

 Happy eating and if you make the christopsomo…here’s hoping that the larger half is in the right hand!

Thank you and happy Christmas to  My Greek Dish and Kopiaste

Reliable Greek recipe sites.

 

More Greek Christmas Traditions:

 

Kallikantzaroi (Christmas goblins)

Vasilopita, Greek New Year’s Cake

Top 15 Greek Christmas and New Year Traditions

Greek Christmas Boat (Karavaki)

Greek Carol singing (Kalanda)