I love buttercream frosting, but it's not as useful when it comes to sugar cookies. Unless, of course, you love having all the stored Christmas cookies sticking together and frosting messed up all over the place.

Hence, the invention for sugar cookie icing. This sugar cookie icing dries hard and shiny, so it looks good, and it tastes good.

The basic ingredients are below, but it's more of a measurement game. Add a little of this and a bit of that until you get the right consistency. Be sure to add the milk a little bit at a time and. It doesn't take much so if you put in too much, you'll have to add in more and more powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency. Unlike traditional frosting, you may want to make it a little thin so the sugar cookie frosting is easier for kids to spread on the Christmas sugar cookies. This sugar cookie frosting can be spread onto the cookies with a paintbrush or butter knife.

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Don't expect the food coloring to create vibrant colors. Red is more like pink, the green is far from Christmas tree green, etc. Feel free to add sprinkles and cinnamon dots before the frosting dries.

The frosting takes a few hours to completely dry. If you like the frosting to be shinier, you can go heavier on the corn syrup, but note that it will take even longer to dry.

Sugar Cookie Frosting/Icing Ingredients

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• assorted food coloring

Sugar Cookie Frosting/Icing Directions

In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush or butter knife.