1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tbs sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp almond extract
3 cups flour

cream butter; add sugar and cream well. add the next six ingredients. mix in flour in small amounts making a very stiff dough. (the last cup may need to be mixed by hand.) wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. roll out one-third of the dough at a time on a floured surface. cut into desired shapes. be sure to flour all cookie cutters before each use. place cutout cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet. bake in a 350° oven for 5-7 minutes or until light brown. allow to cool & then brush with cookie paint.

COOKIE PAINT

4 cups 10x sugar (1 box)
1 egg yolk
6-8 tbs milk
food coloring
several small paintbrushes

beat first three ingredients together. icing needs to be thin enough to roll off a paintbrush, so add milk as necessary to maintain proper consistency. measure out icing into a cupcake pan. add food coloring. paint icing into cookies. (icing can be stored up to one week in the refrigerator in a covered container,)