Sand Dollar Cookies

Ingredients:

■1 cup unsalted butter, softened

■2 cups powdered sugar

■2 eggs whole

■2 eggs separated (yolks in one bowl/whites in another

■2 teaspoons vanilla extract

■2 pinches of kosher salt

■3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

■1/2 teaspoon baking powder

■cinnamon sugar (this gets sprinkled on top)

■sliced almonds

■flour

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar; Mix well

Add the 2 whole eggs and 2 yolks only (reserve the whites for later from the egg separation above); Beat until well combined.

Add vanilla and salt; Blend well.

Add flour and baking powder; Stir until the dough is very soft.

Form a ball with the dough; Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours (I left mine in the fridge overnight).

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll out the dough to 1/4 thick on a floured surface and cut out 2 5/8 circles.

Brush the circles with the reserved egg whites.

Sprinkle each circle lightly with cinnamon sugar and press 5 almond slices into the center of each circle to make a sand dollar (like the pic above).

.Bake at 350° F for 3 minutes.

After 3 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and press the almonds in again, making slight indentations in the circle.

Add more cinnamon at this point too, if need be, to adjust the overall coloring of the final cookie.

Place the baking sheet back in the oven and bake until the edges are golden brown, another 10 minutes (this time will vary depending on how thick you cut the circles, so just keep an eye on them around the 7 minute mark).

Remove from oven; Let rest on baking sheet for 3 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container to keep up to 5 days Yields 4 dozen 2 5/8 circle cookies (or 3 dozen sand dollars