Royal Fans

Preparation

1. Step 1

   In a large mixing bowl, stir together cake flour and sugar. Add butter and almond extract, working it into mixture with your fingertips until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Compress dough into a ball, kneading it slightly if necessary until it is cohesive.

2. Step 2

   Preheat oven to 325 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to ⅓-inch thickness. Use a fluted 4-inch round cookie cutter to cut into disks. Cut each piece into quarters. Using a small spatula or knife, lightly press five or six angled indentations into each quarter to resemble folds of a fan.

3. Step 3

   Place cookies on an ungreased baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Whisk each egg yolk separately with 1 teaspoon water and a drop or two of food coloring, then brush it lightly over folds of fans with a small paintbrush. Decorate cookies with silver dragées, placing a dragée at end of each fold of fan.

4. Step 4

   Bake until very light brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely, and store at room temperature in an airtight container.