Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil, then blend in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together salt, baking powder and flour. Fold into wet mixture, then fold in walnuts. Turn mixture onto a lightly floured board and shape into a 10" by 3" log, flouring hands if necessary to avoid sticking. Transfer log onto cookie sheet, flatten slightly and bake until just set, 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes. Transfer log to a board. Using a serrated knife, cut into slices about 1/2" thick. Place cookies back on cookie sheet and bake again at 325 degrees to dry and brown slightly, about 11- minutes. Turn cookies over once during baking to ensure both sides bake evenly. NOTES : A typical, not-too-sweet mandelbrot - you can have it plain or toss it in a cinnamon sugar mixture for a sweeter, spicier treat. This cookie also makes a good basic recipe and takes well to variations, such as adding chocolate chips, dried cherries or cranberries, raisins, anise seeds, etc. Mandelbrot is a German Jewish treat. Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #920 by Dianne Weinsaft on Nov 24, 1997