Soft Frosted Christmas Sugar Cookies

Instructions

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1. - Preheat oven to 350?.
2. - Prepare Cookie Dough. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric or hand mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
3. - In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, mixing in between each cup.
4. - Divide the batter in two balls and set on a floured surface. Roll out each ball with a rolling pin to make each section about 12 inches in diameter and ? inch thick.
5. - Dip the cookie cutter in flour before carefully cutting out each shape.
6. -

   Bake Cookies. Bake the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet for 8-11 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned.

   Cool cookies on a cooling rack and cool completely.

7. - Make Frosting. In a large bowl, cream the butter and shortening. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy for about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla and scrape down the bowl occasionally.
8. - Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, starting by mixing each cup on a low speed then beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl after each cup of sugar is added. When all sugar has been mixed in, the frosting will appear dry and stiff.
9. - Gradually add milk or water, adding small amounts at a time until the desired consistency is reached; continue to beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl once more and beat again to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated. Add a pinch of salt if too sweet and mix until completely dissolved.
10. -

    Tint icing. Tint 1 cup dark green using color combination provided. Tint 1 cup pastel green

    Tint ½ cup primary red
    Tint ½ cup pastel pink.
    Reserve ½ cup white icing to use later.

11. -

    Prepare Decorating bags.Prepare 5 decorating bags with following tips and icing colors:

    Prepare decorating bag with tip 18 and dark green
    Prepare decorating bag with tip 18 and white
    Prepare decorating bag with tip 3 and primary red
    Prepare decorating bag with tip 3 and pastel pink
    Fill one bag with pastel green icing and cut 3/8 in. from the end of the bag.

12. -

    Decorate cookies. Ice and pipe cookies as follows:

    Stocking Cookie:Spatula ice in pastel green, adding tree sprinkles and jimmies. Pipe white trim.
    Tree Cookie:Pipe stars with dark green icing, pipe pastel pink dots and add holiday sprinkles.
    Present Cookie:Pipe alternating primary red and pastel pink horizontal lines. Pipe pastel green bow using cut bag, adding 4 green jimmies to bow pleats. Add snowflakes and jimmies.