Put butter,
icing sugar, brown sugar and almond extract in large mixing bowl. Beat
together until light and fluffy. Add flour and mix, first with a spoon
then directly with hands, until dough is very smooth and velvety. Chill
several hours. Split the almonds into their natural halves (see note). Cut
each cherry into 6 small pieces. Heat oven to 300F (150C). Lightly grease
cookie sheets. Roll dough 1/4 inch (0.5cm) thick. Cut into 2-inch (5-cm)
rounds or stars and put on cookie sheets. Center each cookie with a bit of
cherry and surround with almond halves arranged like the petals of a
daisy. Beat egg yolks and milk together with a fork and brush this mixture
all over the tops of the cookies. Bake until set and golden brown on top,
20-25 minutes.
Note : If you
blanch your own almonds, split them while they are still warm. If you are
using commercially blanched almonds they may be quite hard to split, but
if you let them soak in boiling water for a few minutes, they will come
apart easily.
