Clove Cookies

Ingredients

• 200 g soft butter
• 150 g sugar
• 1 packet vanilla sugar
• 20 ml ouzo
• 2 Eggs
• 1 pinch salt
• 400 g flour
• 125 g peeled, ground almond kernels
• 40 cloves
• 50 ml orange blossom water (Greek grocery or pharmacy)
• powdered sugar

Instructions

1. 1.

   Beat the butter with sugar and vanilla sugar until fluffy, then stir in ouzo, eggs, and salt.

2. 2.

   Add flour and almonds to the butter mixture and knead everything together. Shape the dough into two rolls, wrap each in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

3. 3.

   Cut the dough into 40 equal pieces. Shape each piece into an oval, slightly domed cookie about 1.5 cm high.

4. 4.

   Place the cookies on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing them about 2 cm apart. Use a fork to press a pattern into the tops and insert one clove into each.

5. 5.

   Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 15-20 minutes. Remove, cool on a wire rack, brush with orange blossom water, dust with powdered sugar, and let cool.