Christmas cookie time!

I baked a couple of dozen cookies on Friday and the kids (OK, they are adults, but they are my kids!) and I decorated them on Sunday. A beloved and time-honored Christmas tradition.

Almond Sugar Stamp Cookies

• 3/4 cup (1  1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2  1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar on high speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg; mix well.

Add half the flour; blend on low speed, scraping the bowl often until well blended. Add remaining flour and salt; blend on low speed for 2 minutes, until flour is incorporated.

Shape dough into balls, using about 2 tablespoons of dough for each.  Place 6 balls on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.  Dip cookie stamp in flour and firmly press dough disk until dough reaches the edges of the stamp. Remove the stamp and repeat with the remaining dough, flouring stamps each time in between.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes, until just beginning to brown on the edges. Cool completely. Decorate as desired.

Makes about 24 cookies

*For the decorating icing, I just whipped 1 egg white and mixed in enough powdered sugar to get the consistency I wanted. It was a little too thick, so I added a bit of water (a very lit bit at a time).