Patricia Sanford has lovely stories to tell. "I wish I could tell you about my great-grandmother, my mother's grandmother," she said. "I never knew her, but she was born 100 years before I was, in Galway, Ireland. During the potato famine, she was sent to Ontario, Canada, as an indentured servant for seven years. She went to work for a Norwegian family, and I imagine that is where she learned to bake these cookies. There was nothing so frivolous as cookies in Ireland, they were that dirt poor.

"This recipe came down from my grandmother to my mother to me. My mother was head chef at Oliver Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, and people were always asking for these cookies, they were such a hit. Some of my aunts call them 'Swedish Cookies' -- so maybe that was a Swedish family and not a Norwegian one -- and some just call them 'sugar cookies,' although that would never do, they are far more than just a sugar cookie. I've always called them 'Almond Sandwiches'; that's the name my mother used when she wrote the recipe out for me when I was a very young bride.

"My husband was a Presbyterian minister, and in between Christmas Eve services we would set out cookies and snacks, and Almond Sandwiches were always a big part of that tradition. They're just a little mouthful, and they just about melt in your mouth. My granddaughter, Gethen Baker, is living with me right now, so I'm teaching her all the basics. I love that part of being a grandmother. You're not just cooking, you're telling stories. Cookies have always been a wonderful vehicle for telling stories, don't you think?"

Almond sandwiches

Note: This recipe must be prepared in advance. We substituted 1 tablespoon milk for the egg yolk in the icing recipe. If you use an egg yolk, be sure to use a pasteurized egg. Sanford said that this recipe has been passed down the generations from her great-grandmother, who died in the late 1800s. "Because the dough is so gentle and flaky, these little delights literally melt in your mouth," she wrote. "We always give them a place of honor on the cookie platter, which is an important part of any holiday gathering in our home."

For cookies:

• 1 c. (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

• 1/3 c. heavy cream

• 2 c. flour, plus extra for rolling dough

For icing:

• 4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature

• 3/4 c. powdered sugar

• 1 pasteurized egg yolk (see Note)

• 1/2 tsp. almond extract

• Food coloring, optional

Directions

To make cookies: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter for 30 seconds. Add cream and beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Reduce speed to low and add flour until just combined. Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness.

Using a 1- to 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut dough into rounds, re-rolling and re-cutting until all is used. Place rounds on prepared baking sheets and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make icing: In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter for 30 seconds. Reduce speed to medium-low and add powdered sugar, egg yolk (or milk) and almond extract and beat until light and fluffy (beat in food coloring, 1 drop at a time, if desired). Using a knife, spread icing across flat side of 1 cookie and place flat side of another cookie on top of spread, as if making a sandwich, repeating until all cookies form sandwiches.