Ingredients

  • 2 cups Butter, softened
  • 2 cups Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Lemon, grated rind and juice
  • 4 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking powder
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ½ lb. Unblanched almonds, finely ground or grated
  • Colored sugars, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Cream butter and sugar in large mixer bowl of electric mixer. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in lemon rind and juice. Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture and ground almonds into butter mixture to make a soft dough. Divide dough into quarters. Refrigerate dough, wrapped in wax paper, until firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.

2. Heat oven to 350℉. Have ungreased baking sheets ready.

3. Roll out one dough portion on lightly floured pastry cloth with a rolling pin covered with stocking or roll between sheets of lightly floured wax paper to ⅛-inch thickness. Cut out with cookie cutters. Return dough to refrigerator if it gets too soft. Transfer to baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each cookie. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.

4. Bake until very light brown at edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Store in a covered tin.

Notes
The dough keeps well in the refrigerator if well-wrapped.

From the Chicago Tribune fourth annual Food Guide Holiday Cookie Contest December 5, 1991

Categories
Cookies