Italian Easter Cookies

Ingredients

• 0.75 cups white sugar
• 0.5 cups butter
• 3 large eggs
• 0.25 cups milk
• 0.25 cups vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3.75 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 teaspoons baking powder

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease cookie sheets.

2. 2

   To make the cookies: Beat sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in milk, oil, vanilla, and almond extract. Combine flour and baking powder; stir into milk mixture to form a dough.

3. 3

   Roll dough into 1-inch balls; roll the balls out on a lightly floured surface into 5-inch long ropes. Bring one end over the other, then underneath and through the middle, like a loose knot; place cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.

4. 4

   Bake in the preheated oven until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown, about 5 minutes on the bottom shelf, then 5 minutes on the top shelf. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. 5

   To make the icing: Beat confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla, and almond extract with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth; beat in milk, one tablespoon at a time. Add food coloring and stir until well combined.

6. 6

   Dip cooled cookies upside down into the icing then sprinkle with candy sprinkles.