almond sugar cookies with lemon icing

When I was living in Vancouver, I worked at a bakery that was known for, among other things, its iced sugar cookies that they would make for holidays and special occasions...up to and including the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.  One day as I was eating one such cookie, I had an epiphany...iced almond cookies!  It seemed to be the most natural thing, as if the idea should have come to mind long ago.  Or as if it was a memory of something I had tasted as a child that was now resurfacing.  In any case, after carrying the idea around in my head for a while, I had another epiphany...lemon icing!  And so I made a few small modifications to a simple sugar cookie recipe to come up with this.  It has a sweet and fragrant springtime taste...and the almond flavour pairs quite nicely with Brazil Ipanema Bourbon, the current featured seasonal offering at a Starbucks near you!

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, almonds, salt, and baking powder.
2. In another large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla and almond extracts and beat until combined.  Add flour mixture and beat to form a smooth dough.
3. Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least an hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Remove dough from refrigerator and unwrap onto lightly floured surface.  Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick and use cookie cutters to cut cookie shapes.  Transfer shapes to prepared baking sheets.
6. Bake 10 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges.  Remove from oven and cool.

for the icing:

1. Mix all icing ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl until smooth.
2. Working quickly, ice the cooled cookies.  Leave them to dry for a few hours.