Almond Butter Cookies

These tiny cookies are really nice looking and great for cookie exchanges and such. They take a while to make because they need to be chilled and then glazed, but theyr'e well worth the time and effort.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 10 mins
• Yields: 40 small cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 1  cup butter
• 8  ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1  egg
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  almond extract
• 3 1⁄3 cups flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder

• GLAZE

• 2  cups icing sugar
• 2  tablespoons  melted butter
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  almond extract
• 4  tablespoons milk (give or take)
•  maraschino cherry, quartered (optional)

Directions

1. Cream sugar, butter, and cream cheese until fluffy.
2. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract until smooth.
3. Stir together the flour and baking powder in a seperate bowl.
4. Stir the flour into the creamed mixture. Chill for 1-1.5 hours or until firm.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
6. Roll the dough into small (1/2 teaspoon) balls with your hands, and press down to 1/8 '' with your fingers.
7. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until you notice that the bottom of the cookies are turning golden brown.
8. Allow cookies to cool.
9. Whisk together the icing sugar, butter and almond extract until smooth.
10. Add small amounts of milk until the glaze is spreadable.
11. Drop small amounts of the glaze onto the center of each cookie.
12. If you want, you can place a quartered marashino cherry in the middle of each cookie as well to garnish.