Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, room temperature NOT MELTED)
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 cup almonds (Blanched, no skins, and ground FINE-an electric food grater works best)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (1/2 c Splenda works also)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar (or PURE vanilla extract-not imitation)
• 1 (16 ounce) bag of sifted 10x powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar (more or less to taste)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, ground almonds, granulated sugar, vanilla sugar or extract, (which ever one you used).

3. Add cut up butter with a pastry cutter, fork or clean hands.

4. Mix to form a dough, if dough is too soft, chill for about 20 or 30 minutes.

5. In a 9 X13 casserole dish, Sift together the powdered sugar and vanilla sugar for coating. Spread it out covering the entire bottom of casserole dish. Set this aside.

6. Pinch the dough and roll to make small crescents (or balls). Crescents should end up to be about 1-2 inches long when placed on pan, or balls about 1-1 1/2 inches in diameter. you can place these pretty close together as they do not rise or grow like most cookies.

7. Place your formed dough on an UNGREASED cookie sheet.

8. Place in oven for about 10-12 minutes, or until they become a light golden brown on the bottom. Their color doesn't change alot unless they get burnt.

9. Cool pan on a rack for about 1 or 2 minutes then CAREFULLY place them in the powdered sugar in the casserole dish with the spatula. coat them well, but be extremely careful, as these cookies are very fragile.

10. Place them on a plate or platter after coating to let them cool completely, then place in an air tight container.

11. To Make Vanilla Sugar with a vanilla bean: 1 Vanilla Bean,1 Quart Mason Jar, Granulated Sugar.

12. Fill Jar with granulated sugar, Crack vanilla bean, scraping the seeds into the sugar, then place the bean in the sugar. Place the lid on the jar and store for about 2 weeks.

13. To Make Vanilla Sugar with Pure vanilla extract: 1 TBSP Pure vanilla extract, 1 c granulated sugar.

14. Spread granualted sugar on a small flat surface (waxed paper beneath it) pour vanilla extract over top, and mix well. Spread it out once you have it well blended to let it dry out, then, mix with enough sugar to fill the Mason jar and place the lid on, shake it up, and its ready to use.