Instructions

• Prepare the Dough:  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla and almond extract and milk until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing just until the dough comes together. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour to make it easier to handle.
• Form and Flatten: Once the dough is chilled, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop small portions of the dough and roll them into balls, about the size of a walnut.
• Here’s where the magic happens: I use a special little flat-bottomed glass cup—one that I’ve claimed as my cookie-flattening tool. Generously flour the bottom of the cup to keep the dough from sticking, and gently press down on each ball until it’s as thin as you can get it without tearing the dough. The goal is that lacy, delicate thinness that makes these cookies so special. My tip! I flatten as best as I can with the bottom of the glass and once I put the flattened cookie dough on the parchment paper, I gently flatten more with my fingers.  Remember the secret to getting the thin lace cookie effect, is to flattened out the dough as thin as possible. Note: Be careful not to use too much flour. If you use too much flour, your cookies will be dry.
• Decorate: Once flattened, sprinkle each cookie with red, green, and white sugar crystals. This little touch makes them sparkle like Christmas lights and adds a festive crunch.
• Bake and Cool: Bake the cookies for about 6 minutes, just until the edges begin to turn golden. Keep a close eye on them; thin cookies can go from perfect to overdone in moments. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a minute before transferring them to a wire rack to cool slightly. These cookies are so delicious warm! I promise they will disappear fast!
• Store in Tins: Once cooled, stack them carefully in Christmas tins. These cookies keep wonderfully fresh and make the most delightful holiday gifts. There’s nothing like opening a tin of these delicate, lacy beauties and tasting the love that went into making them.