BERLINER KRANSER-Norweigan Christmas Cookies

Every year my grandmother made these cookies at her oak wood kitchen table that now has a place in my kitchen. It was always the weekend after Thanksgiving. She and her sister mastered these cookies at a young age when the first arrived in Baltimore from Norway. They made them effortlessly, she shaped them with mechanical precision. The wreath shape and size were always consistent and they were never over or under baked. I'm sure the reason she could she could roll and cut Berliner Kranser (Berlin Wreaths) into perfect wreaths was she started making these for guests of my great-grandfather the sea captain when she was 8 years old.

These are my all time favorite Christmas cookies.The texture is unlike another cookie you've ever tasted. They are delicate but have character and complexity, the Liv Ullmann of Christmas cookies.

Changing the shape to a small ball makes them suitable for anytime you want a delicate butter cookie. But traditionally they were only for Christmas my grandmother would make so many they'd last until Easter stored in old pretzel tins.

Makes about 10 dozen cookies.

4 hard boiled yolks
4 raw yolks, reserve the whites
1 cup sugar
1# unsalted butter, soft
5 cups all-purpose, sifted

Topping:
1 cup granulated sugar
4 egg whites

1. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Mix yolks and sugar until smooth.

3. Add ¼ the of the butter and the flour to the yolks continue alternating between the flour and the butter until all butter and flour are mixed in. Mix well but do not over mix. Place on waxed paper shape into a log and refrigerate about one hour.

4. Roll the dough into a rope about 3/8" thick and cut into 5" lengths. Cross one end over the other to make a wreath shape. You can also shape into 1" balls.

5. Beat the egg whites in a shallow glass dish (pie plate) until they form very soft peaks. Place granulated sugar on a separate plate. Dip into the egg white and then the sugar. Place on sheet pan about 1" apart and bake for about 12-15 minutes.