Greek cuisine is so much more than feta and filo. And Greek desserts are not just baklava! This almond-butter-fruit cookie is a Greek family favorite from our resident expert on all things Greek, Maria Sakellariou. Maria, who grew up in Greece and a part of her family’s restaurant, now has a personal chef service, Culinary Odyssey. 

Maria’s upcoming cooking classes include working with filo dough on October 22, an autumnal feast of spinach-stuffed pork and pumpkin custard on November 12, plus a festive rack of lamb with feta and mint and honey-cinnamon pastry ribbons on December 3.

Samble Cookies (Marmalade-Filled Sandwich Cookies) 

• 1 1/4 cups butter at room temperature
• 1 cup whole raw almonds
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• juice of ½ lemon
• 1 cup marmalade or jam (such as apricot, peach, cherry, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Finely grind the almonds in a food processor. Cut the butter into small pieces. Combine butter with almonds, flour, and lemon juice. The dough should be the consistency of dough that can be rolled out. If too soft, add a little more flour. Roll out the dough. Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut into circles. Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes – be careful not to overbrown. Let cool completely. Carefully remove from pan using a thin spatula. Using your preferred flavor of homemade marmalade, ‘glue’ two cookies together and serve.