Κουραμπιέδες / Sugar Free Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:
2 sticks + 2 tablespoons butter, melted
1tsp. Vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
10 tablespoons Splenda no calorie sweetener
1 egg yolk
1/4teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup almonds, toasted and finely chopped
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, add butter, sweetener, salt, egg yolk and extracts. Mix until fully combined.

Sift in half of the flour and mix until smooth. Sift in the rest of the flour and continue to mix until the flour is fully combined.

Fold in almonds and walnuts. Mix until the nuts are evenly dispersed within the Dough.

Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of batter and shape it into a round cookie with your hands (5 millimeters / 1/2 inches in thickness). Continue to work on the rest of the dough in the same manner. Place a whole clove in the center of each cookie.

Place cookies 1 inch apart on the parchment paper.

Place the cookies on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, until the edges start to turn golden. Transfer cookies to a wooden surface or rack to cool down.

Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

P.S. Remove the clove before eating. Eat in one bite. Cookies are very tender and crumbly. If you sift on powdered sugar while cookies are still warm, they will taste like authentic Kourambiethes, but, alas, they will no longer be sugar free!