Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg. Beat well. Before you add the flour, you may want to consider switching from beaters to a dough hook as the dough will become rather thick. Slowly add the flour, beating well between each addition. The dough will be much lighter if you follow this step. Add the baking soda. Slowly pour the cooled spicy syrup into the cookie dough. Add the ground almonds and beat well.

Place finished dough into a container, cover, and let sit for a minimum of 24 hours in a cool place. This allows the spices to really permeate the dough.

Tip: Short on room in the refrigerator? Try a cooler on the back porch or your garage.

After the dough rests for a day, it will become quite hard. Let it soften for a couple of hours at room temperature, then remove it from the bowl for baking.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough until quite thin: 1/8-inch or so.

Note: These cookies are traditionally meant to be very thin, crispy, and spicy. Or, if pressed for time, simply roll the dough into logs, freeze until firm, then slice thinly.

Place slices on your cookie sheet, and bake in a 350°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Submitted by: Karen Hartvig-Nielsen