• Preheat oven to 350°.
• In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl with hand beater, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add egg and beat well.
• Add vanilla and almond extracts and mix until combined.
• Add baking powder and 1 cup flour, mix on low just until combined.
• Add remaining flour ½ cup at a time, then mix on low. If the dough gets too stiff for your mixer, wet your hands and mix the rest together on the counter or table.
• No need to chill the dough. If perhaps you need to, let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes or so before rolling out and cutting.
• Divide dough into workable batches.
• On a pastry mat or very lightly floured surface, roll dough out to ¼ inches.
• Cut with desired cookie cutters. Place on a ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
• Bake for 6-8 minutes. Mine only take 6 minutes, the longer you bake them the crispier the cookie will be. I prefer mine on the softer side.
• Let rest on pan for about 4-5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

For Glaze

• Whisk together powder sugar and milk, adding more sugar to make it stiffer or more milk to make it thinner.
• Pour desired amount into zip top bags. Add desired food colorings, zip bags closed and let the kids mush them to create colors. I make about 4-5 different colors. Or you can color the icing in separate bowls and add it to piping bags.
• When ready to use the icing, do a small cut on the corner of the bags and decorate cookies as desired.

Royal Icing

• With a stand mixer or hand beater, whisk the powdered sugar, meringue powder and water on high for about 2 minutes.
• The royal icing should slowly drizzle off the whisk and blend smoothly back into the bowl. If the icing is too thick, add a touch more water and if the icing is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.
• Separate the icing into separate bowls, add desired colors and mix it together well. Add icing to piping or zip top bag, snip corners and decorate as desire.