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Almond and rosewater shortbread

Makes about 30
From: gourmettraveller.com.au

120 gm natural almonds
220 gm softened butter
375 gm (2½ cups) pure icing sugar, sieved
Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean
1 egg yolk
30 ml ouzo
330 gm plain flour
3½ tsp baking powder
1½ tbsp rosewater, or to taste

Preheat oven to 180C. Spread almonds on an oven tray and roast, stirring occasionally, until golden (5-6 minutes). When cool enough to handle, coarsely chop and set aside.

Beat butter, 75gm icing sugar and vanilla seeds in an electric mixer until light and fluffy (4-5 minutes). Beat in yolk, then ouzo, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Sift in flour and baking powder, add almonds and stir to form a stiff dough, then turn onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1.5cm-thick. Cut into crescents with a 5cm-diameter cutter and place on baking trays lined with baking paper. Press scraps together and repeat. Bake until light golden (18-20 minutes), cool on trays for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with rosewater. Dust heavily with remaining icing sugar, cool completely on trays. Biscuits will keep, stored in an airtight container, for 1 week (dust with icing sugar between layers).