Cookie Cutters

I love cookie cutters. Especially the holiday ones. My collection isn't quite what I believe it should be, so I need to work on that. Ssshhhh...don't tell my husband! You can't have a holiday without making iced sugar cookies. Or at least that is what I think, and my kids feel the same way. Yesterday while I the kids were at school I made sugar cookies. And I iced them. By myself. I didn't just make the dough and let it chill until the kids got home so they could help. I didn't just bake the cookies and let them cool until the kids got home so they could ice them. I made the dough, baked the cookies, and iced them, all before the youngest kid got home from school. Now if you know anything about my kids, they love to ice cookies. They get pretty creative, and I will just leave it at that. I greeted them with "Mommy made sugar cookies today!" when they got home, wincing because I knew they were going to ask to ice them. To my shock, they were happy because they didn't have to wait for the icing to set for once. They just dove right in and promptly ate about half the cookies. I guess I'll be making them again later this week.

Sugar Cookies

1 c butter, softened

1 c sugar

1 egg

3 T milk

1 t vanilla

3 c flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

Cream the butter, sugar, and egg. Mix in the milk and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add this to the wet ingredients. Mix well, and chill for one hour. Roll out dough and cut out with your favorite cookie cutters. Bake at 400 for 5-8 minutes. This makes about 30 cookies, if your kids don't eat all the dough. What I really like about these sugar cookies is that they aren't overly sweet. That is what the icing is for!

Sugar Cookie Icing

1 c powdered sugar

2 t light corn syrup

1 T milk

1/4 t almond extract

assorted food coloring

Stir together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Add the corn syrup and almond extract, stirring until icing is smooth and glossy. Add a bit more corn syrup if needed to thin it out. Divide into separate bowl and add food coloring. Dip the cookies, or paint on icing with a brush. Let the icing set for about an hour.