Mandel Kranser (Almond Crowns)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. 2

   Add egg yolk and orange peel.

3. 3

   Add flour, don t over mix.

4. 4

   If the dough is too crumbly, add a little water.

5. 5

   Chill the dough until firm enough to roll out.

6. 6

   Make almond paste, or mix prepared almond paste (such as Odense brand) with egg white.

7. 7

   If the paste is too hard to mix, grate it into the egg white and add enough water to achieve a spreadable consistency.

8. 8

   After the dough is chilled, roll out dough nice and thin.

9. 9

   Cut the dough into 3-inch strips.

10. 10

    Gather extra dough, repeat until dough is used up.

11. 11

    Spread almond paste mixture on dough, leaving 1/4-inch free at the top edge.

12. 12

    Gently roll up the dough, and place on a cookie sheet, refrigerating until firm.

13. 13

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

14. 14

    Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator.

15. 15

    Slice roll into 2-inch pieces, and arrange these on the cookie sheet, leaving a little room for spreading.

16. 16

    Slice each 2-inch roll every 1/4-inch or so from the top down leaving about a 1/4-inch uncut at the bottom.

17. 17

    Gently pull down the ends to form a crown shape.

18. 18

    Brush each cookie with an egg wash, and sprinkle with almonds.

19. 19

    If you prefer, use parl suukar, or pearl sugar, for a glittering effect.

20. 20

    Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until pale golden in color, remove and cool.