Kayley's Addictive Frosted Sugar Cookies

Mmmmmm! Rock your someone special's world with these delicious rolled sugar cookies. They have just the perfect amount of softness, sweetness and yumminess. Please be sure not to roll them too thin or overbake them, which will make them too crisp.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 9 mins
• Serves: 30
• Yields: 30 cookies

Ingredients

• Cookie dough ingredients

• 1  cup sugar
• 1  cup powdered sugar
• 1  cup butter, softened
• 2  eggs
• 1  tablespoon vanilla
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  teaspoon cream of tartar
• 4 1⁄2 cups flour

• Frosting ingredients

• 4  cups  sifted powdered sugar
• 1⁄4 cup milk
• 1⁄4 cup  melted butter
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄8 teaspoon  almond extract
• 1⁄8 teaspoon  orange extract
• 1⁄8 teaspoon  food coloring, of your choice (use more if you want a darker color)
• 1  pinch salt
•  candy sprinkles (optional)

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together (with mixer on high speed) until fluffy (about 3 minutes) : 1 cup sugar, 1 cup powdered sugar, and 1 cup butter, softened.
2. Add and blend with mixer on high for 2 minutes: 2 eggs and 1 Tb vanilla.
3. In a separate large bowl, mix together thoroughly with a spoon or fork:
4. 1 t. sifted baking soda, 1 t. sifted cream of tarter , and 4 1/2 cups flour.
5. Slowly add the flour mixture (1 cup at a time) to the butter-sugar-egg mixture using a mixer on low speed until all the flour mixture is well incorporated.
6. Divide dough in 4-6 equal flattened, round discs, wrap in plastic and chill approximately 1 hour.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
8. Take a chilled dough disc out of the fridge and roll out the dough to 1/4 - 1/3 inch thickness, with a rolling pin between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap (or you can roll out the dough with a lighly floured rolling pin on a lightly floured large cutting board) then cut into desired shapes and place the shapes onto cookie sheets covered with parchment paper.
9. Place cookie sheet on a rack in the middle part of the oven and bake for approximately 8-10 minutes or until cookies appear dry and are just beginning to turn golden around the edges. Carefully remove the parchment paper with the cookies still on it to a cooling rack and then remove them from the paper when they are cooled.
10. Frost the cookies when they are room temperature. If you want your frosted cookies with sprinkles on top then you need to put them on immediately after frosting each cookie, when the icing is still wet, so the sprinkles will stick securely to the frosting.
11. Directions for making the frosting:
12. While the cookies are cooling to room temperature, mix together the frosting ingredients (except the sprinkles) in a large bowl with a mixer on the slowest speed until all the powdered sugar is moistened. Then increase the speed and mix until the frosting is smooth, with no lumps.
13. Note:
14. You want the frosting to be a spreadable consistentcy (comparable to the consistency of pudding). So if it comes out too thick then add more milk by small amouts (a few drops at a time) until you obtain a spreadable consistentcy. If it is too thin then add more sifted powdered sugar.
15. When the frosting on the cookies is dry then tranfer them to a container with a lid. Be sure to put waxed paper, parchment, or plastic wrap between layers so the frosted cookies don't become all stuck together.