Chinese Almond Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup lard or vegetable shortening, at room temperature (1/2 pound)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon almond extract
pinch of salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg yolk
Whole blanced almonds for garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Grease 2 baking sheets.
2. Beat lard or vegetable shortening with sugar until creamy. Beat in almond extract and a salt, then beat in all-purpose flour, a little at a time. The dough will be crumbly.
3. Shape spoonfuls of dough into flat, round cookies about 2 inches in diameter. (The edges of the cookies will have cracks.) Transfer to the prepared pans.
4. Beat together egg yolk and water and brush it atop the cookies. Press a whole blanched almond into the center of each cookie.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully. Store in an airtight container.