Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups butter
• 6 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 pounds all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds or 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

• Beat butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat until sugar has dissolved and batter is smooth.
• Stir baking powder and baking soda into 2 cups flour and add to batter.
• Add the remaining ingredients, but do not add all the remaining flour at once.
• When you get a soft, elastic dough that doesn't stick
• to your fingers, stop adding flour.
• You may not use all the flour.
• Let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Take heaping tablespoonsful of dough, roll in sesame seeds (if desired), and form into S or O shapes.
• Place cookies onto prepared baking sheet.
• Beat 1 egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water and brush over cookies.
• Bake until golden brown.
• Remove from oven and, if you did not use the sesame seeds, roll cookies in powdered sugar while still warm.