Oma's Butter Cookies

Christmas would not be complete without my mother baking butter cookies. Here's her recipe.

1 lb. flour (3-1/2 cups)
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
100 gram sugar (1/2 cup)
2 sticks butter, unsalted
1 tsp. almond extract

This is a German recipe, that's why the lbs. and grams...

With a mixer, in a large bowl combine sugar and butter, cream well. Then add egg yolks and whole egg. Mix well. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add almond extract.
You should now have a ball of dough. Place in refrigerator for about 1 hr. Take 1/4 of dough, roll out on floured surface and use cookie cutters.

Bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Optional: before you put cookies in oven, they may be decorated. Mix one egg yolk with a drop of milk and brush on the cookie to hold the decorations. Or you can decorate after baking with some powdered sugar mixed with a drop of water, makes a simple thin icing. My children's favorite, brushed with egg/milk, sprinkle with sugar, then bake. If you just brush with the egg/milk mixture and bake the top of the cookie is shiney. Or a sliver of almond on top.