How To Bake and Decorate Baby Shower Cookies

Cookie ingredients:

• 3 1/4 C flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 can (14 oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 3/4 C butter, softened
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• Cookie Cutter in baby bottle, baby bootie or baby face shape

To make cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat sweetened condensed milk, butter, eggs and vanilla until well blended.
4. Add dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Chill dough for at least two hours.
6. On floured countertop, knead dough lightly to form a smooth ball. Separate the dough into 3 or 4 workable chunks.
7. Roll dough, one portion at a time on a well floured countertop to a thickness of 1/8" and cut with floured cookie cutter.
8. Place cookies on lightly greased cookie sheets.
9. Bake 7-9 minutes or until cookies are light brown around edges.
10. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Icing ingredients:

• 6 C powdered sugar
• 4 T milk
• 4 T light corn syrup
• 3 tsp. almond extract
• assorted food colorings

To make icing:

1. In large bowl, stir powdered sugar and milk together until smooth.
2. Add corn syrup and almond extract and beat until smooth and shiny. If icing seems too thick, you can add a little corn syrup.
3. Separate icing into small bowls and add food coloring to desired tones.

Using small paintbrushes, decorate cookies. If you are layering icing, start with the lightest color and let dry completely before applying a second layer so that the colors do not bleed. This icing will dry hard and shiny.

Store cookies loosely covered at room temperature.

Makes approximately 6 dozen cookies, depending on size.