Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• , sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup blanched, ground almonds
• Streusel:
• 1/3 cup (5 1/2 tablespoons) butter or margarine, at room temperature
• , cut into chunks
• 1 scant cup all-purpose flour
• , sifted
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Candied pineapple pieces or candied cherries cut in half

Instructions

1. Cream butter on medium speed until light, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla, and beat until combined. Stir in sifted flour, baking powder, and salt. Completely mix ingredients together. Blend in almonds. Dough will be crumbly.
2. Gather dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease or spray cookie sheets.
4. Roll out dough on a lightly floured board or pastry cloth to 1/4-inch thickness. Use a 2-inch cookie cutter to cut dough into circles. Set the circles on the cookie sheets.
5. To prepare streusel: Cream butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
6. Add remaining ingredients except fruit. The mixture will be crumbly.
7. Spread streusel evenly over the cookies. Set a piece of pineapple or a cherry half in the center of each cookie.
8. Bake in the center of the oven for 12 minutes or until the cookies are a light golden color. The cookies brown quickly, so watch carefully. Let cookies sit on cookie sheets for 2 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool.