1991 2ND PLACE: OMA'S ALMOND COOKIES

      Title: 1991 2ND PLACE: OMA'S ALMOND COOKIES
  Categories: Cookies, Holiday
       Yield: 120 Servings
  
       2 c  Butter, softened
       2 c  Sugar
       2 ea Eggs
       1 ea 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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