Soft Sugar Cookies

Adapted from: bakeat350.blogspot.com

For the Cookies:
3 & 1/3 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup salted butter, cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract

For the Icing:
1/2 cup shortening
1 lb. (4 cups) powdered sugar
Pinch salt
6 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Dash almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (I just used a nonstick cookie sheet. Parchment paper is never nice to me). Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, shortening, and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and extract, beating until well combined. On low speed, add flour mixture in three additions, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Measure out the dough in 2 Tbsp. chunks and roll in a ball; place on cookie sheet 2" apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies look done but are still soft.

For the icing: Beat shortening, powdered sugar, and salt on low speed until combined. Slowly add in milk and extracts until well combined. Tint as desired.

I love bakeat350.blogspot.com. She makes beautiful cookies, and she has other great recipes, too! I was browsing her blog when I saw this recipe for soft sugar cookies. Though her pictures could probably make you even want to eat a shoe, I saw these and knew that I wanted to try them. Well, Vann and I's 6 month anniversary is tomorrow (yay!!!!), so I decided that I wanted to make him something sweet :) I just took 6 of these puppies up to his work for him to snack on throughout the day, and he had already eaten one before he got inside. The almond extract adds a nice dimension to these cookies, and the mixture of shortening and butter make these cookies to die for. They are so soft, and the frosting is just delicious, especially with the hint of almond (I'm a sucker for almond flavoring). These will definitely be added to my permanent cookbook. They were easy to make, and they are better than anything you could ever get in a store!