bake: Sand Dollar Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Step 2

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar; Mix until very creamy. (I may or may not have taken a lick after this step – HA! ;)

Step 3

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

Step 4

Add vanilla and salt; Blend well.

Step 5

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

Step 6

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

Step 7

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step 8

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

Step 9

Brush the circles with the reserved egg whites.

Step 10

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).

Step 11

Bake at 350° F for 3 minutes.

Step 12

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

Step 13

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

Step 14

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).

Step 15

Remove from oven; Let rest on baking sheet for 3 minutes.

Step 16

Transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

Step 17

Dig in!!!

Step 18

Store in an airtight container to keep up to 5 days (Yeah right, these won’t last 5 minutes!)