Kitchen Krafts

1. With electric mixer or wooden spoon, beat together butter, almond paste, and sugar until creamy.

2. Beat in egg and gradually blend in unsifted flour.

3. Keep dough tightly covered while shaping cookies. Work with two tablespoons of dough.

4. To make ornaments, flatten and shape of single lump of dough (see illustration). Other figures can be made by shaping different parts separately before combining. A fork can be used to make markings on figure. Use whole cloves for pear stems, animals eyes, and accents on cookies. A hole for hanging can also be made in cookie before baking.

5. Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet at 325° for 20 minutes or until light brown on bottom. Cool and paint with egg-white glaze.

Beat 1 egg white until frothy. Then beat in 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar. Part of glaze can be tinted with food coloring.

1. Melt butter in medium-size saucepan. Add brown sugar, orange rind, and orange juice, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.

2. Stir in oats and nuts. Spread into 2″ x 8″ x 8″ pan. Freeze, then cut into 1″ x 2″ bars; or refrigerate 1 hour, then shape into ball and roll in coconut.

1. Butter a 2″ x 8″ x 8″ baking pan. Melt butter in heavy skillet; then stir in honey and almonds. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture turns golden brown (about 5 minutes).

2. Spread in pan, working quickly. Cut into squares with sharp buttered knife. When cool, cover and store in refrigerator.