"This delicious cookie was created by Anna Pieklo, a Polish immigrant who came to this country at the turn of the century," writes Diana Treese of St. Cloud, Florida. "My family is also Polish, and I love making these at Christmastime."

　　Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

　　

Ingredients

Makes about 5 dozen

　　

For cookies

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

　　3/4 cup sugar

　　5 hard-boiled large egg yolks, forced through a fine sieve

　　1 teaspoon vanilla

　　

For glaze and decoration

1/4 cup sugar

　　1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

　　1 large egg

　　1 teaspoon milk

　　

Special Equipment

a pastry cloth and a rolling pin sleeve

　　

Step 1

Sift together flour and salt.

　　

Step 2

Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in yolks and vanilla until combined well. Mix in flour mixture at low speed just until blended. Form dough into a disk and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 1 hour.

　　

Step 3

Preheat oven to 350°F.

　　

Step 4

Keeping remaining dough chilled, roll out one fourth of dough slightly less than 1/4 inch thick on floured pastry cloth with sleeve-covered rolling pin (dough is soft). Cut out desired shapes with a 21/2- to 3-inch floured cookie cutter. Chill scraps. Arrange cookies 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet.

　　

Glaze and decorate cookies:

Step 5

Stir together sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Lightly beat together egg and milk in another bowl. Lightly brush tops of cookies with egg mixture and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

　　

Step 6

Bake cookies in middle of oven until pale golden, about 12 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool. Make more cookies in same manner, rerolling scraps no more than twice.