When the mum-in-law was 13 years old, she got this book as a gift from the Rumford company. As you can see, it is in shreads. I guess the paper was cheap, and handling it makes my air pipes itch, so this is not an heirloom I will volunteer to be in charge of. However, the recipes are still great, and simple, as I don´t suppose there was a multitude of ingredients in the 1930´s, not in the interior of Swedish Lapland anyway. The recipe for almond cookies is the one that has been most popular over the years, and the mum-in-law will make it/have it made for as long as she lives. And as long as I live, it will continue to be made for Christmas, that´s for sure.
Take 6 bitter almonds and 30 sweet almonds, blanched and peeled, and grind them through an almond grinder. Stir 100 g of butter with 100 g of caster sugar in a bowl. Pass 300 g wheat flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder through a sieve, add 2 tablespoons of cream and 1 egg, mix all the ingredients.
The dough is then rolled out thinly and the cookies are cut out with a pastry-cutter. If you don´t like stars, I´m sure hearts taste just as good! Or, if you don´t have a designated cutter, use a drinking glass. Put them on a non-stick oven paper (you´ll need about four for this batch, which will give you two full jars of cookies), brush the cookies with a beaten egg and sprinkle pearl sugar and minced almonds on top. Bake in a medium hot oven, 200 - 225 degrees Celsius, for about five minutes, or until they are turning slightly golden.The mum-in-law proudly quotes my sister about these: "not only are they delicious, they are addictive". So beware, I guess.
Update. for anyone wondering what an almond grinder looks like (photographed with a matchbox for size reference):
