- 1/2 cup whole almonds, minced
- 3/4 cup Lucerne Sweet Cream Butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 cup Safeway SELECT Indulgence Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
- Food coloring (optional)
- Candy decorations
- In a large bowl with a wooden spoon or a hand mixer, beat minced nuts with butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and vanilla until blended.
- In a 1- to 1 1/2-quart pan over low heat, stir chocolate just until smoothly melted. Add to nut mixture; whirl or beat to blend. Add flour; whirl or mix until dough holds together.
- Rub half-egg plastic molds with vegetable oil, then sprinkle liberally with granulated sugar; shake out excess. Pack dough firmly into molds, scraping surface smooth and reusing any scraps to fill the next mold. Chill dough until firm to touch, 5 to 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Invert molds onto ungreased 12- by 15-inch baking sheets; tap briskly to release dough. (Use the tip of a small knife, if necessary, to coax dough out.) Repeat, spacing dough slightly apart, until pans are filled. Bake until lightly browned, 30 to 40 minutes. If using 1 oven, switch pan positions halfway through baking.
- Place cookies, flat side down, on racks to cool. In a medium bowl, mix powdered sugar with 4 to 6 tablespoons water until smooth. (Icing needs to be thin enough to pour thickly from a spoon, but thick enough that you can't see the cookie surface beneath.) If using food coloring, divide icing into smaller bowls, one bowl per color, and add a few drops per bowl. Stir well.
- Place a clean baking sheet under racks. With a spoon, ladle icing evenly over cookies. Scrape icing that drips onto baking sheet into a bowl; cover and set aside for making whole 'eggs,' if desired (see Step 7). Let icing dry until firm to touch, about 3 hours.
- When it's time to decorate, fill pastry bags with remaining icing. Add powdered sugar if necessary to achieve a thick but pipeable consistency. Use icing to anchor candy decors in place and create squiggles and swirls. Let icing dry until hard. Advanced decorators may want to make whole 'eggs': Spread flat side of 1 cookie with reserved icing; sandwich against flat side of another cookie. Press until they hold together. Pipe icing around the middle seam, if desired, then let dry on racks until icing is firm. Serve, or store airtight up to 4 days.