Nut Edged Butter Slices

These fancy little cookies are the result of another great Christmas cookie recipe. And these cookies could not be easier to make. Edging the cookies in nuts makes them look fancier than your average cookie. The ingredients are basic and the recipe whips up quickly. The dough does need to be refrigerated, but just an hour, or overnight, if you prefer. When I made this batch, I followed Mom's recipe and used almonds. But any type of nut could be used. I think the next time that I make them, I might try using pistachios. The nuts should be finely chopped, but nowadays, it is easy to find finely chopped nuts in a store if you don't want to bother with a food processor. Also, I did not have light cream on hand, so I just used milk. The cookies turned out great, so the substitution worked out fine.

Nut Edged Butter Slices 

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg, separated
• 2 tbsp. light cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
• 3 tbsp. sugar

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cream together butter, 2/3 cup sugar, egg yolk and vanilla; beat well. Add flour mixture gradually to the butter mixture, beating well. Shape dough on waxed paper into a 12 inch by 1 1/2 inch roll. Chill for one hour. Combine almonds and 3 tablespoons sugar. Brush chilled dough with egg white and roll in almond mixture, pressing the nuts in firmly. Cut 1/4 inch slices. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet, leaving at least one inch between cookies. Bake at 400 for 7-10 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!