Grandma Seigfried - “Oma” to many of us - made these cookies
every year at Christmas and for weddings. If the name doesn’t look familiar, that’s because she always pronounced
it Leeenza-doyk!
10 c. flour
2-1/4 lbs. soft butter (not melted)
2 lemon rinds zest grated
16 egg yolks only
3 cups sugar
Mix all ingredients in a big bowl. You can use a pastry cutter as though
making pie crust, if you like. Mix until ingredients are blended and mixture can be molded in your hand. Divide mass into
3 large thick disks of dough, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours to 2 days.
When ready to bake cookies, dust counter surface with flour. Place one
of the dough disks on the flour and roll out with a floured rolling pin until 1/4- to 1/3-inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters.
Using a pastry brush, brush top of each cookie with beaten egg white wash.
(Egg White Wash: white of an egg beaten with half a teaspoon of water until frothy.) Sprinkle well with a mixture of ground
walnuts and sugar, or colored candy sprinkles.
Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at about 325 degrees for about 10
minutes. Be careful not to burn; light tan is okay.
ALTERNATIVES!
Oma’s favorite way of making these cookies was to cut them into 3-inch
squares, put a dollop of prepared fruit or nut filling (see recipes in this book) and fold two opposite corners of the dough
over the filling like a blanket. Then brush with egg white wash and sprinkle on ground nuts.
You can also roll out the dough to fit in a greased baking pan, and spread
your filling over the cookie dough. Then place thin strips of cut dough on top of the filling in a lattice design. When cookie
dough is baked, cut into 2-inch squares. Mmmmm, good!
