| 1 | Preparation time: 45 minutes baking time: 16 minutes Heat oven to 350 degrees. |
| 2 | For cookies, sift flour, sugar and salt into bowl. |
| 3 | Cut in 1 cup butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. |
| 4 | Blend in almonds and vanilla. |
| 5 | Work mixture with fingers until a ball of dough is formed. |
| 6 | Then shape into 1-inch balls. |
| 7 | Place balls on greased cookie sheets; make a depression in center of each cookie. |
| 8 | Bake about 8 minutes; remove from oven. |
| 9 | Dent again and bake about 8 minutes longer; cool. |
| 10 | For frosting, blend 6 tablespoons butter, half-and-half and brown sugar in saucepan. |
| 11 | Boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly; remove from heat. |
| 12 | Cool about 15 minutes, then stir in confectioners" sugar and vanilla. |
| 13 | Beat until smooth and thick. |
| 14 | Fill depressions in cookies with butterscotch frosting and sprinkle frosting with nuts. |
| 15 | Winner penney l. |
| 16 | Haney of kenosha described these cookies: "oh, the aroma! dad knew his "girls" had been baking as soon as he stepped in the back door, brushing snowflakes from his coat. |
| 17 | He warmed his hands over the hot oven, slowly recovering feeling in his fingertips, numb from stringing red, yellow, blue, green and white lights in the pines in the yard. |
| 18 | His chore and our special treat combined each year to mark the beginning of our holiday preparations. |
| 19 | "while chatting to mom about trying to locate the single, burned-out bulb that had kept an entire strand out, he watched me, his tiny daughter, with not so dexterous fingers, shaping dough into big marbles. |
| 20 | I had to kneel on a wooden chair to reach the table, with mom"s brightly-colored apron wrapped around me nearly twice, held together in back by a giant safety pin." from the chicago tribune annual food guide holiday cookie contest december 4, 198 |
