Diana's Desserts - www.dianasdesserts.com
http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipes.recipeListing/filter/dianas/recipeID/300/Recipe.cfm

Amaretto Butter Cookies

Servings: 3 Dozen
Ingredients:
1 cup (1/2 lb.) unsalted butter or margarine, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 large egg, separated

3 tablespoons almond-flavor liqueur, such as amaretto, or 1
tablespoon almond extract

2 teaspoons grated orange peel

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

sliced almonds to sprinkle tops of cookies


Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat 1 cup
butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg yolk, liqueur, and orange
peel and beat until well blended.

In another bowl, mix 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Add
to butter mixture; stir to mix, then beat until well blended. Gather
dough into a ball, divide in half, and flatten each portion into a
disk, wrap each tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until firm
enough to roll without sticking, about 30 minutes.

Unwrap dough. On a lightly floured surface, with a floured
rolling pin, roll one disk at a time to about 1/4 inch thick. With a
floured, 2-inch round cutter, cut out cookies. Place about 2
inches apart on buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheets. Gather
excess dough into a ball, reroll, and cut out remaining cookies.

In a small bowl, beat egg white with 1 teaspoon water to
blend. Brush cookies with mixture and sprinkle or arrange about
1/2 teaspoon sliced almonds on each.

Bake cookies in a 325°F regular or convection oven until lightly
browned, about 15 minutes; if baking two sheets at once in one
oven, switch their positions halfway through cooking. Let cookies
cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide spatula to transfer
to racks to cool completely.


Source: Adapted from: Sunset Magazine
Date: April 11, 2002