Amaretto Butter Cookies

These buttery cookies, garnished with almond slices and seasoned with orange zest and amaretto, are delivered to Gary Connor's happy family and friends every Christmas. Every year, he prepares 10-15 homemade sweets for distribution, including these liqueur-flavored treats.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together 1 cup butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the egg yolk, liqueur and orange zest and beat until smooth.In another bowl, combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture; stir, then beat until smooth. Roll the dough into a ball, divide in half, and flatten each portion into a disc; wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until the dough is firm enough to roll out without sticking, about 30 minutes.Roll out the dough. On a lightly floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll out a single circle about 1/4-inch thick. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, sprinkled with flour, cut out the cookies. Place on greased 12-by-15-inch baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Gather the excess dough into a ball, roll out and cut out the remaining cookies.In a small bowl, whisk the egg white with 1 teaspoon of water until smooth. Brush the cookies with the mixture and sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon of chopped almonds on each one.Bake the cookies in a conventional or convection oven at 325 ° C until lightly browned, about 15 minutes; if you are baking two baking sheets in the same oven at once, change their position in the middle of cooking. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide spatula to transfer to coasters to cool completely.