NOW OPEN!

Cafe Jessica is now open for business! Ok, not really business, but I like to post recipes and about recipes, so here's where I'll do that. Today's find: AWESOME sugar cookies with PROFESSIONAL grade icing. I'm telling you: You know those expensive cookie boutiques? I have better cookies than that with the same bright, glossy icing! Here's the cookies:

1 1/2 C butter
2 C white sugar (don't use turbinado or cane sugar as the granules don't disappear into the batter and you'll still be able to see after they are baked)
4 eggs
1 tsp almond extract (or vanilla, lemon, rum, whatever)
5 C AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Cream sugar and butter. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, and
salt. Cover and chill. Then, roll out to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Tim likes them thicker so they are nice and soft (you'd be able to stick a stick in them if you did about 1/2" thick). Bake at 400 for 6-8 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Professional Grade Sugar Cookie Icing:
Stays glossy, gets hard but not too hard. Lovely for this!!

1 C powdered sugar
2 tsp milk (plus a little extra to get to the right consistency)
2 tsp corn syrup
1/4 tsp almond extract
PASTE food coloring (unless you don't want BRIGHT, BOLD colors)

Beat sugar and milk until smooth, then beat in syrup and extract. Add more milk if needed to get to the consistency you'd like for spreading and beat until glossy. Separate into containers and stir in food coloring.

This will set quickly, so keep covered if you aren't working with it.

See, so easy TJ and Riley can do it. :) The colors stay just as bright when they are dried/set!