| 1 | Thoroughly stir together flour, anise, baking powder, and slat and set aside. |
| 2 | Using a small sharp knife peel a thin layer of zest (without white membrane) from the entire lemon. |
| 3 | Combine lemon zest and sugar in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. |
| 4 | Process until zest is very finely minced. |
| 5 | Add shortening and butter to the processor and process for one minute. |
| 6 | Add egg yolk and vanilla and process 20 seconds longer. |
| 7 | Add dry ingredients and continue processing just until they are blended. |
| 8 | Divide dough in half and place each portion between large sheets of waxed paper and roll out to 1/8 inch thick. |
| 9 | Check the underside of the dough to check for any creases. |
| 10 | Slide dough onto a large tray or baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until the dough is chilled and slightly firm. |
| 11 | Preheat oven to 375 °F. |
| 12 | Lightly grease several baking sheets. |
| 13 | Work one half of the dough at at time. |
| 14 | Turn the dough over and peel the sheet of wax paper off of the dough and replace the paper loosely. |
| 15 | Then turn the dough right side up. |
| 16 | Peel off and discard the top sheet of paper. |
| 17 | Using assorted 2 ?to 3" cookie cutters cut out cookies. |
| 18 | Place in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until just brown ant the edges. |
| 19 | Remove from the oven and let stand for 3 minutes. |
| 20 | Transfer to wire racks and let stand until cooled completely. |
| 21 | Sprinkle cookies with the decoration mixture. |
