Vienna Cookies

A traditional butter cookie found in bakeries throughout Vienna, these sweet treats are a great accompaniment to a cup of strong herbal tea.  While this recipe features almonds, it can be made with walnuts, hazelnuts or pecans instead.  There are many variations of this famous cookie, but this is a traditional Austrian version.

Ingredients:

• One cup butter, softened
• One-half cup sugar
• One teaspoon vanilla extract
• Three egg yolks
• One cup ground almonds
• One cup flour
• Vanilla sugar (for dusting)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and egg yolks until creamy. Add almonds and combine well. Add flour gradually and fold in with spatula until just combined.
2. Put dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour to chill. Using a portion of the dough, roll into a thin rope. Cut into small, equal-sized pieces of approximately one tablespoon. Shape into a crescent and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 12-16 minutes until firm to the touch, but still slightly pale. Remove from oven and dust with vanilla sugar while still hot. Once cool, store in an airtight container.

Makes 60 cookies.

Note: To make vanilla sugar at home, fill a jar with sugar and a few split vanilla beans and keep sealed for about a week to infuse the vanilla flavor into the sugar.