Amaretto Butter Cookies

These cookies are decorated with sliced almonds and flavored with orange peel and almond-flavor liqueur. Makes a wonderful holiday cookie. Delightful! From Sunset.

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Yields: 36 cookies

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 lb butter or 1⁄2 lb margarine, at room temperature,about
• 1  cup sugar
• 1  large egg, separated
• 3  tablespoons  almond liqueur, such as amaretto or 1  tablespoon  almond extract
• 2  teaspoons orange zest
• 2  cups all-purpose flour, about
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄4 cups  sliced almonds

Directions

1. In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat 1 cup butter and sugar until smooth.
2. Add egg yolk, liqueur, and orange peel and beat until well blended.
3. In another bowl, mix 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add to butter mixture; stir to mix, then beat until well blended.
5. 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.
6. Unwrap dough.
7. On a lightly floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll one disk at a time to about 1/4 inch thick.
8. With a floured, 2-inch round cutter, cut out cookies.
9. Place about 2 inches apart on buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.
10. Gather excess dough into a ball, reroll, and cut out remaining cookies.
11. In a small bowl, beat egg white with 1 teaspoon water to blend.
12. Brush cookies with mixture and sprinkle or arrange about 1/2 teaspoon sliced almonds on each.
13. Bake cookies in a 325° 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.
14. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide spatula to transfer to racks to cool completely.