Schwowebrettle or Petits Fours de Noel

The dough should be prepared 12 hours before it is to be baked.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (1/2 pound) unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cinammon
• 2 ⅓ cups almond flour (see note)
• Grated rind of 1/2 lemon
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3 to 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon cold water

84 cookies

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter a cookie sheet.
3. Knead the butter until it is soft and pliant, but not greasy. Add sugar, cinnamon, almond flour, lemon rind and two egg yolks.
4. Gradually work in flour, either kneading by hand or with the dough hook of an electric mixer. Work in just enough flour to give you a firm, homogenous mass. If dough is too crumbly, work in a little extra egg yolk.
5. Wrap in plastic or place in plastic bag and chill overnight.
6. Cut dough into convenient pieces to work with. Lightly flour a pastry board and rolling pin and roll dough out to a thickness of one-eighth inch. Using cutters that are about one and a half to two inches across, cut out Christmas shapes. Press scraps together and reroll.
7. Place cutout cookies on cookie sheet. Brush with egg wash. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
8. Cool on rack and store in airtight tin. Keep in a cool, dry place.

• Almond flour is finely pulverized blanched almonds. It is available at H. Roth & Son, 1577 First Avenue, at 82d Street, (734-1110) for $3.50 a pound.