Ingredients
1½ cups (12 oz / 3 sticks) butter, softened
3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 Tbsp milk
6 Tbsp (⅜ cup) vanilla extract
6½ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cardamom
Frosting
6 cups powdered sugar (about 1½ lbs)
¾ cup butter, softened (1½ sticks)
⅓ cup water
1½ tsp almond extract
1–2 drops red food coloring (Till its pretty pink)
Preparation
Instructions
Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
Mix in eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated.
Stir in vanilla and milk.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom in a separate bowl.
Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until combined.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes with a 3" cookie cutter.
Refold the dough together and repeat step 6.
Freeze cookies until firm (about 20 minutes).
Bake at 350°F for 7 minutes, rotate pan, bake another 7 minutes until just set.
Cool completely before frosting.
For Frosting,
Cream butter until smooth.
Gradually add powdered sugar, alternating with water, until fluffy.
Mix in almond extract.
Add food coloring and beat until evenly tinted.
Rick’s Tip: This frosting is all about balance. Add the water slowly — you want it spreadable, not runny. The almond extract and pink color are what make these cookies unmistakably Sky River.