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1
Cream the butter and the two sugars together in a bowl.
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2
Add the almond extract, crack the egg into the bowl, and mix thoroughly.
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3
Toss the cream of tartar, salt, and nutmeg with the flour, add to the batter and beat until blended.
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4
Fold in the slivered almonds.
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5
Turn the dough out onto a large piece of lightly floured wax paper, and with floured hands form it into a long roll about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (or, if you prefer, form two rolls).
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6
Now wrap the wax paper around the log, and refrigerate for several hours or for as many as 10 days (then if not used up, it should be frozen).
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7
When you are ready to bake a batch, preheat the oven to 400.
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8
Using a sharp knife, cut as many 1/4-inch slices of the dough to make as many cookies as you think youll eat up in the next few days, and arrange the rounds with space between on a cookie sheet lined with Silpat or parchment.
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9
Bake for 8 minutes.
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10
Remove to a rack to cool.
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11
To vary, look through some old American cookbooksFannie Farmer, the original Joy of Cookingfor ideas.
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12
I love the oatmeal combination recommended in Joy, and Ive made the spicy version using dark Vermont maple syrup instead of molasses.
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13
There are lots of possibilities.
