Shekkir Lemma/Cardamom Shortbread Cookies

These cookies are delicious and surprisingly simple to make.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Ingredients
2 Sticks or 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups all purpose white flour
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
30 blanched almonds or about 1/4 cup (optional)*see blanching instructions below if you don't buy pre-blanched almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

*Blanching almond instructions: Add almonds to boiling water. Boil for one minute. Drain almonds and rinse with cold water. Peal skins and allow almonds to dry.

Beat room temperature butter with a hand mixer or stand mixer until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat until blended. Put the flour and cardamom in a separate bowl and mix. Add the flour and cardamom to butter/sugar mixture and beat until flour is blended in. Take the dough out of mixing bowl and squeeze together with hands until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 1/2 hour to hour. Remove the dough from refrigerator and take a small piece in your hand (a little over a tablespoon). Squeeze the dough in your hands a little to soften. Shape into desired shape and put on ungreased cookie sheet. If your dough is cracking and not flexible then squeeze it in your hands to warm up a bit more and try again. Press an almond onto each cookie. For mine I rolled into a small log and brought the ends together and pressed to make a circle. I added an almond to the part where the ends met. Put into preheated oven for 15 minutes. These cookies should not be browned. Cool cookies.