Hens and Chicks

To celebrate the launch of my blog, I decided to bake some cookies. At my house, iced sugar cookies are not just a Christmas treat; we make them all year round. I have drawers in my kitchen that are filled with nothing but cookie cutters, and a cookie recipe I've used for 20 years or so.
  
But this time, in the spirit of all things new, I tried a recipe I found in my Cookie Craft book. The taste was very similar to my recipe, but the cookie dough didn't spread as much when it baked. As a result, the cookies maintained their shape, and you could actually tell what they were!  

I love the professional look of cookies that are decorated with royal icing, but I use a much simpler icing recipe that doesn't take long to whip up, and in my humble opinion, tastes better! Mix together the following ingredients:

3 cups confectioner's sugar
3 tbsp. milk
3 tbsp. corn syrup
3/4 tsp. almond extract

Stir together until smooth and glossy.  If too thick, add more corn syrup. Add food coloring as desired.

The one problem I have is that the cookies look great the first day, but after that the color starts to dull.  Do any of you have a simple confectioner's sugar icing recipe that remains shiny for longer? 

Here are the results of my afternoon of baking and decorating:

And here is a whole brood of aproned red hens and their chicks:

 

I had so much fun baking these Little Red Hen cookies and just had to share them with you!