Oma's Almond Cookies

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Title: 1991 2nd Place: Oma's Almond Cookies
Categories: Cookies, Holiday
Yield: 120 servings

2 c Butter, softened
2 c Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Lemon, grated rind and juice
4 c All-purpose flour
1 ts Baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 lb Unblanched almonds, finely
Ground or grated
Colored sugars for garnish,
Optional

Preparation time: 30 minutes Chilling time: 8 hours or overnight
Cooking time: 10 minutes

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 degrees. 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 1/8 -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.

This second-place winner, from Judy M. Drux of Dyer, Indiana, makes
very thin, crisp, delicate cookies. The dough keeps well in the
refrigerator if well-wrapped. This cookie was a tribute to her
husband's grandmother, Antonia Drux, who emigrated to this country
from Germany in 1923. (Oma means "grandma" in German.) The recipe has
been passed down as just a list of ingredients. Drux added a few
hints to help make baking them easier for future cooks. from the
Chicago Tribune fourth annual Food Guide Holiday Cookie Contest
December 5, 1991

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