The Greek Christmas cookies that are almond shortbreads covered in powdered sugar are kourabiedes.
Kourabiedes are rich, crumbly cookies made by kneading flour with butter and chopped or crushed roasted almonds. They are baked until lightly colored and then generously dusted with powdered sugar, often while still warm so the sugar clings to the surface. Some versions include brandy, rosewater, or orange blossom water for additional aroma.
These cookies are especially associated with Christmas in Greece, though they may also appear at Easter, weddings, and other celebrations. Their pale coating is the key visual distinction from melomakarona: kourabiedes are buttery almond shortbreads covered in sugar, while melomakarona are honey-soaked and walnut-topped. The name is related to qurabiya, a wider family of shortbread-like cookies found across parts of the Middle East, Balkans, and Mediterranean.