Frosted Fluffy Sugar Cookies

For the cookies:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer (or other large mixing bowl) until slightly lighter in color, about 3-4 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Add the extracts and blend.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until completely combined, scraping down the bowl at least once to collect all the dry ingredients. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Remove dough from the refrigerator and discard plastic wrap. Use the palms of your hands to form dough into twelve balls, each about 1 1/2″ inches in diameter. Space the balls evenly across the baking sheet leaving about two inches between them. If you have any remaining dough after you have formed all twelve balls, add bits of dough to the smaller ones and re-roll.

Press the heel of your hand gently onto each ball so that it forms a thick disc. Bake at 350°F for about 11-12 minutes until the bottom edges have barely begun to brown and tops still glisten slightly. Do not overbake, as cookies will dry out quickly if baked too much.

Remove pan from the oven and allow to cookies to rest for 3-5 minutes. Lift cookies onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the icing:
Sift powdered sugar into a small bowl. Add melted butter, vanilla, milk (start with 2 tablespoons), and gel food color and whisk together. If icing is a bit too thick, add just a bit more milk. Icing should be thick enough that the tracks of a whisk form when stirred but disappear within 5-6 seconds once the whisk is still.

Spoon a small dollop of icing onto a cookie and spread gently with a knife. If you’re using sprinkles, add them now. Work one cookie at a time: the icing will begin to harden within minutes of being applied, so your sprinkles may not stick if you wait to add them until all of the cookies have been iced.

Serve immediately, or allow icing to harden for a couple of hours. Once the icing has hardened, store cookies in an airtight container.

These cookies are best the day they are baked, but they’re mighty fine the next day as well. I couldn’t tell you how long they last after that because they’ve always been eaten by the second day!

Adapted from Beantown Baker.