Sugar and Spice Cookies

My favorite fall cookies are these sugar and spice cookies I have been making for a few years now. I made them again last week for Maryam's baby shower (more on the baby shower here). The cookies are subtly sweet and full of fall spice. I found it from the awesome Good Things Catered blog that is now defunct so I'm posting it here for the record.

Sugar and Spice Cookies with Maple Glaze 
adapted from my favorite cookies originally from Ashlee

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. powdered sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp orange zest
5 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp allspice
Powdered sugar, for rolling 

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Cream butter and sugars in a mixer for 5 minutes. 
-Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly. 
-Add vanilla, almond, and zest. 
-Sift in flour, baking powder, spices and salt a little at a time. 
-Do not over mix, this process should take about one minute.
-Chill dough for up to a week in the fridge, or roll out and cut right away.
-Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and bake cookies for 7-8 minutes (4 minutes for mini ones).
-Wait until cookies are cooled before icing.

Maple Glaze

(makes nearly enough for drizzling on a full batch of the sugar and spice cookies)

½ c butter

2 c sifted powdered sugar

2 tsp maple flavoring

2-4 T hot water

Directions:

-heat butter until golden brown; stir in powdered sugar and maple flavor; stir in 2-4 T hot water until smooth and the consistency you want

-if icing seizes/separates, use hand mixer to beat in the water or try hotter water

-pipe or drizzle on the cookies; cool overnight in single layer, then stack