Fattigman Cookies

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Cream together eggs, sugar, and brandy, if using.

3. Stir in melted butter.

4. Gently fold whipped cream into batter.

5. Sift together flour, cardamom, baking powder, and salt.

6. With a light hand, mix dry ingredients into batter to form a soft dough. You want to avoid handling dough too much. Otherwise, cookies will end up tough.

7. Chill dough, covered, for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

8. Roll chilled dough out on a floured board to a thickness of 1/8 inch.

9. Using a fattigman cutter or a pastry cutter, cut dough into diamond shapes about 1 1/4-inch wide by 3 1/2 inches long. If you're using a pastry cutter, cut dough first into 1 1/4-inch strips and then cut across these diagonally to form diamonds.

10. Use a knife to cut a 1/2-inch slash in the middle of each diamond.

11. Twist one corner of each diamond up through center slash to make a knot.

12. Heat 2 inches of oil in the bottom of a heavy pot to 375 F.

13. Drop in pastry knots and fry until golden brown, turning occasionally.

14. Remove and drain on paper towels.

15. Sprinkle cookies with vanilla sugar or confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.

Storage

You can store your cookies for up to a week in an airtight container. But many people think they taste best as soon as they've cooled enough to enjoy, immediately after frying.