Almond Pretzels (MANDELPLÄTTCHEN)

Step 1: Sift sugar.

Step 2: Beat butter until soft, and add the 1 cup of sugar gradually. Blend these ingredients until very light and creamy.

Step 3: Beat in one of the egg yolks, the 2 eggs, and the sour cream.

Step 4: Stir in the flour, then add the baking powder, cinnamon, and lemon rind.

Step 5: Divide dough in half and put each half on a sheet of plastic wrap (not waxed paper).

Step 6: Shape each into an evenly thick log, 6-7" long.

Step 7: Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Step 8: To bake, remove dough from refrigerator and let warm up slightly. Working with one dough portion at a time, carefully mark and then cut the log into 13 equal sections.

Step 9: To form pretzels, knead a dough section briefly to soften it slightly. Using fingers, roll dough back and forth on a clean work surface until you have a rope about 10-12" long, keeping the rope evenly thick.

Step 10: Shape the rope into a pretzel shape by making a circle with the right end overlapping the left one and wrapping around it, then flipping the two ends over onto the circle.

Step 11: Put the pretzels on a greased cookie sheet. Brush each one with the remaining egg yolk and sprinkle the tops with the tablespoon of sugar and the almonds.

Step 12: Bake 10-15 minutes in a preheated 375F oven. Be careful not to let them brown.