Danish Butter Cookies

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack just above the center. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
2. Grind the almonds with 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a food processor until they look like coarse sand, about 30 seconds.
3. If you are using a vanilla bean, split it and scrape out the seeds. Beat the butter, the rest of the sugar and the vanilla seeds or extract with a mixer on medium until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not whip it fluffy, because extra air makes the rings spread.
4. Beat in the egg. On low speed, mix in the almond mixture and the salt, then the flour, just until a soft dough comes together.
5. Fit a sturdy piping bag with a large open star tip, about 1/2 inch across, and fill it halfway. Pipe 2-inch rings onto the parchment, 1 inch apart. Or pipe 4-inch lengths and join the ends into rings. If the dough is too stiff, warm the bag in your hands. If the ridges blur, chill the bag for 10 minutes.
6. If the rings look soft, chill the sheet for 15 minutes before baking, so they keep their shape.
7. Bake one sheet at a time for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are just golden and the tops are still pale. Start checking at 8 minutes, because they color quickly.
8. Cool them on the sheet for 3 minutes, since they are fragile while warm, then move them to a rack. They crisp as they cool.

Good to know

• Storage: keep them in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 3 weeks, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
• No food processor? Use 3/4 cup of almond flour in place of the whole almonds and stir all the sugar in with the butter.
• A cookie press with a star disk works too. Press out 4-inch strips and join the ends into rings. Or skip the piping: roll the dough into ropes about 1/2 inch thick, cut 4-inch lengths, join the ends into rings and mark the tops with a fork.