Peppernuts (Cardamom spice cookies)

- LW

These tiny, bite-sized cookies come from a Scandinavian recipe. My family always makes them at Christmas.

If you bake the cookies a little longer, they will be crunchy when they cool; if you bake them according to the recipe, they will stay more cakey.

Ingredients
1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup ground almonds (you can grind them in the food processor or buy almond meal)

2 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon crushed cardamom

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until smooth. Beat in ground almonds.

Combine remaining dry ingredients and beat into butter mixture until incorporated.

Chill dough for 1-2 hrs.

<p class="MsoNormal">Roll chilled dough into thin strips. Cut ½ inch bits and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes to firm up, then move to cooling rack.