Sugar Cookie Cut-outs with Icing

"I found these two recipes on allrecipes.com. I wanted an icing recipe that hardened so the cookies could be stacked...different from the frosting in a can I usually use. The icing is pretty and glossy and makes store-bought looking cookies."


Cookies: (makes 5 dozen)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt


DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Notes:

-Use parchment paper on top of cookie sheets (can use again and again and it never sticks)

-make sure you flour top of dough you're rolling out and the rolling pin.

-mine only took 6 minutes and were the 1/4 in. thickness


ICING: (enough for the five dozen cookies)

INGREDIENTS:

5 cups confectioners' sugar
10 teaspoons milk
10 teaspoons light corn syrup
2 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring
sprinkles (optional)


DIRECTIONS:

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.
Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

Notes:

-I added more milk instead of corn syrup to get the consistency I wanted