Sugar Cookie Cutouts

Memorial Day weekend, my mom and I made 4 batches of these sugar cookies for a celebration in honor of my nephew being awarded Eagle Scout by the Boy Scouts of America.  This is a great recipe to keep on hand for when you want to make cutouts.  Since there were 2 of us, we got done fairly quick.  I like the subtle flavor that the almond extract gives. 

Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoon almond extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Sift together the flour and baking powder, stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the heavy cream. Cover dough, and chill for 2 to 3 hours, until firm.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. 
3.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness*. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.
4. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, until bottoms and edges of cookies are light brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container. 

  *Recipe stated 1/4 inch thickness -- I think they came out better when they were a bit thinner. 


Icing
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract assorted food coloring (optional)

1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
2. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity (optional). Spread icing on with a knife.   note:  this icing takes a while to dry.  I let these sit overnight on my kitchen counter with no problems.  The cookies remained soft.

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