Instructions: Melt butter, and combine with eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, salt, extracts, citrus rind, liquor, and sour cream. Beat with a wooden spoon until thick and lemon colored. Gradually add enough flour to produce a fairly stiff dough. Turn onto a floured board, and knead until dough blisters, becomes elastic, and can be handled easily, adding flour if necessary, 8 to 10 minutes.

Keeping bulk of dough under an inverted bowl to prevent it from drying out, roll small pieces of dough very, very thin, and cut with a leaf-shaped cookie cutter.

Heat the shortening to 375 degrees, and fry the dough leaves a few at a time until lightly browned, about 1 minute, turning once with a long fork or tongs. To achieve slightly curved leaves, stretch the dough a bit as you drop it into the hot shortening.

Drain chrusciki on brown-paper bags, and sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Store, tightly covered, in wax-paper-lined tins.

This recipe yields about 8 dozen cookies.

Comments:
This recipe makes an enormous quantity, so it can be halved if you wish, but do not divide the orange or vanilla extracts.

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