Swedish Almond Butter Cookies

From Annemarie Russell's Family!

My family uses Scandinavian ceramic cookie stamps to make these (you can buy them
online or in a Scandinavian store), but in a pinch I've also used the bottom of a glass and
they are still perfectly delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 c. butter
• 1/2 c. white sugar
• 1/4 t. salt
• 2 c. flour
• 1 t. almond extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream butter and sugar very well. Add salt to mix, then add flour
and mix well. Finally, mix in almond extract. Roll into small balls and then roll balls in sugar
and place on uncreased cookie sheet (I typically line it with parchment paper). Stamp with
a cookie stamp (or bottom of a glass!). Bake 10-12 minutes in a 350 F oven. You want the
cookie to be "just baked" without the edges browning, so watch them the first few times
to get the baking time right for your own oven. Yields 3 dozen delicious cookies. Try not to
eat them all in one sitting!

These were a holiday favorite from my grandparents John and Marion Eklund. My grandpa
(we called him "Gotta") was proud of his Swedish heritage and at some point (I honestly
don't know when or how) these cookies became part of the Eklund family Christmas
tradition. My own family made them when I was a child, and now we make them (and my
kids make them too). They are light, crisp, buttery, and taste like Christmastime to me.
Ironically they would probably be delicious in the summertime too, but we only make
them in December -- something we all look forward to all year long. Enjoy!