Soft & Thick Cut-Out Cookies (adapted slightly from Christmas Recipes from The Lion House)
2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
Frosting:
1/2 stick butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 Tb milk
food coloring
Cream butter and sugar till fluffy. Add eggs, almond extract, and vanilla and beat till fluffy again. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together, and add to the creamed mixture. Mix till combined. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface, about 3/4 inch thick. (I like to roll it out on parchment paper. Just grab a lump at a time, don't bother trying to roll the whole thing out! If it gets a bit sticky, sprinkle with a little bit of flour. Be sparing with the flour, or you'll end up with tough, floury cookies) Cut with cookie cutters, and place on greased/lined cookie sheets. Bake for 10-14 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies, until they are just puffed. If the edges start to brown, you've gone too far!! You want these to stay soft!
Let cool completely, then frost!
Beat butter for frosting till fluffy. Add vanilla and sugar, and beat till it looks all crumbly. Add the milk, 1 Tb at a time, beating very well between each. It may not seem like enough, but wait a bit. If you add too much milk too soon you'll never get it fluffy. I know from experience! Beat until thick and fluffy, separate into frosting bowls, and stir food coloring into each.