Biscotti di Regina (Queen's Biscuits), Z and K

I found these cookies in a book of recipes that chronicles cookie recipes published in Gourmet magazine, from the 1930s through 2010.  These were from 1955.  They weren't very sweet, with a cake-like crumb.  I used about 1/4 cup of sesame seeds and had several left (I let them dry and used them in something else - sesame seeds are expensive!).

Biscotti di Regina (Queen's Biscuits) 

Gourmet, November 1955

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 5 cups flour 
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 pound sesame seeds

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 450°
2. Cream butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in egg and add gradually milk and vanilla extract.
4. Sift together into a bowl flour, salt, and baking powder. Make a hollow in the center and gradually work in the butter-sugar mixture. If the dough seems too dry, add more milk.
5. Shape the dough into a ball and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
6. Wash and drain well sesame seeds.
7. Break off pieces of the chilled dough the size of walnuts and flatten them slightly between the palms. Roll the biscuits in the sesame seeds and bake them on a cookie sheet 1/2 inch apart in a hot oven (450° F.) for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden. Makes 5 dozen biscuits.