Cream the butter until light. Add 3/4 cup of the sugar, the 2 eggs, all but 1/4 cup of the almonds, the lemon rind, and flour and mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Gather the dough together in one lump, cover in plastic wrap, and chill for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350F. On lightly floured board, roll out 1/2 of the dough at a time to a sheet 1/8 inch thick. cut into strips 3/4 inch wide and 4 inches long. Lightly beat the egg yolk and brush it on the tops of the cookies. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup each sugar and almonds.

Place about 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Yield: 12 to 15 sticks. Typed in MMformat by cjhartlin@email. Msn. Com