Basic Sugar Cookies and Basic Almond Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Yield: 24 cookies
No-spread cut out cookies frosted with a crusting almond buttercream icing
Ingredients
Cookies
- 6 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups butter softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Frosting
- 2 Cups shortening
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 8 Cups powdered sugar
- 1/8 Cup heavy cream more or less to desired consistency
- food coloring if desired
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of your mixer cream butter and sugar until smooth.
- Beat in extracts and eggs.
- In a separate bowl combine baking powder with flour and add a little at a time to the wet ingredients. The dough will be very stiff. If it becomes too stiff for your mixer turn out the dough onto a countertop surface. Wet your hands and finish off kneading the dough by hand.
- DO NOT CHILL THE DOUGH. Divide into workable batches, roll out onto a floured surface and cut. You want these cookies to be on the thicker side.
- Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
Frosting
- In the bowl of your mixer beat shortening until smooth and creamy.
- Mix in vanilla (and almond extract if using).
- Add powdered sugar (1 cup at a time) until combined, then add cream and mix until smooth and spreading consistency. Adjust cream to desired frosting thickness
- Add a few drops of color, if desired.