2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon semolina flour (the old fashioned recipes call for ground rice, if you can find it, it works well) 1/4 cup powdered sugar 1 cup butter 1/2 cup almonds, ground sugar for topping
Sift together flour, powdered sugar, semolina flour and ground almonds in a mixing bowl. Use your fingertips to rub in the butter a little at a time until mixed in well.
Next on a floured surface roll out dough. Use cookie cutter or turn a glass upside down to cut out shapes. I like to cut into rectangular shortbread "fingers". The old fashioned way is to use your fingers to pinch the edges. Lightly dust with sugar. These make nice Christmas cookies and you can use red and green food coloring to color the sugar (or orange for Halloween, red for Valentine's day, or pink for a tea party).
Place on a cookie sheet covered with baking paper. Bake in 320F (160C) degree oven for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack (this will keep them from getting soggy on the bottom).
