1991 2nd place: oma's almond cookies

2 c  butter, softened
      2 c  Sugar
      2    Eggs
      1    Lemon, grated rind and juice
      4 c  All-purpose flour
      1 ts baking powder
           Pinch salt
    1/2 lb Unblanched almonds, finely
           Ground or grated
           Colored sugars for garnish,
           Optional
 

    Cooking time: 10 minutes
  
     1. Cream butter and sugar in large mixer bowl of electric mixer.
    Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in lemon rind and juice. Mix flour,
    baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture and ground almonds into
    butter mixture to make a soft dough. Divide dough into quarters.
    Refrigerate dough, wrapped in wax paper, until firm, at least 8 hours
    or overnight.
  
     2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Have ungreased baking sheets ready.
  
     3. Roll out one dough portion on lightly floured pastry cloth with a
    rolling pin covered with stocking or roll between sheets of lightly
    floured wax paper to 1/8 -inch thickness. Cut out with cookie
    cutters. Return dough to refrigerator if it gets too soft. Transfer
    to baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each cookie. Sprinkle with
    colored sugar if desired.
  
     4. Bake until very light brown at edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer
    to wire racks to cool. Store in a covered tin.
  
     This second-place winner, from Judy M. Drux of Dyer, Indiana, makes
    very thin, crisp, delicate cookies. The dough keeps well in the
    refrigerator if well-wrapped. This cookie was a tribute to her
    husband's grandmother, Antonia Drux, who emigrated to this country
    from Germany in 1923. (Oma means "grandma" in German.) The recipe has
    been passed down as just a list of ingredients. Drux added a few
    hints to help make baking them easier for future cooks. from the
    Chicago Tribune fourth annual Food Guide Holiday Cookie Contest
    December 5, 1991
 
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