Almond Sugar Cookies (and a Fruit "Pizza")

This recipe came from two places. First, my friend Lindsay who posted this sugar cookie recipe on her blog that immediately caught my eye. Why? Because instead of vanilla extract it used almond. And I love almond extract (almond anything really)! I probably shouldn't admit this, but I like to pull the bottle out just to take a whiff once and a while. I've never heard that inhaling almond extract could be dangerous, so hopefully my habit is harmless! It just smells (and tastes) so amazing! Lindsay swore this recipe made the most delicious and soft sugar cookies. So I gave it a try. A she was right! They're delectable. And super soft. And I love them!

My second inspiration for this post was my friend Chelsey. She makes a killer fruit pizza using store-bought cookie dough. I've been forever wanting to create my own homemade version. So I decided to put this sugar cookie recipe to use and try it out! I made cute little cookie cut-outs as well as a large sheet of dough that I rolled out to fit a baking pan. A few minutes in the oven (and what seems like forever to cool) and I had a soft sheet cookie. I frosted it with a sweetened cream cheese spread (also spiked with almond extract!) and topped it with fresh fruit (my first strawberries of the season!). Voila! Fruit pizza was born.

So thank you to both my friends for being so generous with your recipes and for being my inspiration! Oh, and one more thing. This recipe yields a lot of cookie dough. The cream cheese spread recipe I've provided won't be enough to go around. (It's perfect for the fruit pizza but you can use your favorite frosting if you are making traditional cookies.)

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 1/2- 5 cups powdered sugar

Cream Cheese Spread (for fruit pizza):
8 oz. cream cheese
1 Tbsp. milk
3 cups powdered sugar (to taste)
1/2 tsp. almond extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, almond extract, and cream cheese and continue beating until smooth. Sift together the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour. Add the dry ingredients slowly, mixing until just incorporated. (The dough will still be slightly sticky.) Wrap in plastic or wax paper and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease or line baking sheets.

3. To roll out the cookies, lightly flour a large flat surface. Flour the dough and rolling pin before rolling out to 1/4 in. thickness. Cut into desired shapes. (If the dough is sticking, just use more flour!)

4. Place on prepared baking sheets and bake in preheated oven for 6-8 min until puffed and slightly golden on the edges. (I prefer super soft cookies so I take them out before they turn golden.) Remove cookies to cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, frost with your favorite icing and decorate! Cookies can be frozen or stored at room temperature in an airtight container.

Fruit Pizza:
Roll out dough into a thin sheet (1/4 inch thick) and place over a lightly greased pizza or sheet pan. Trim the edges to fit the pan. Bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, until puffed and golden on the edges. (Once again, you want a soft, almost doughy cookie, so don't overbake!) Remove from the oven to cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.

To make the cream cheese spread, place cream cheese in a medium sized bowl and beat on high with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the milk and almond extract. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, adjusting to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use. Once the cookie has cooled, spread the frosting over the surface of the cookie and top with fresh fruit. Serve immediately. (You can refrigerate leftovers but the cookie tends to get soggy once it is decorated.)

(Cookie recipe courtesy of Lindsay Nielsen)