Halloween Sugar Cookies

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup butter and 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and 1 cup sour cream until well combined.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together 5 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.
3. Divide the dough in half, wrap each piece in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
4. After chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the dough on a baker's mat or parchment paper. If the dough is sticky, add an extra 1/4 to 1/2 cup flour. Cut into shapes using floured Halloween cookie cutters.
5. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, until the bottoms are just barely golden. Be careful not to overbake. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. For the buttercream, combine 3/4 cup butter, 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Divide the frosting into 2 or 3 bowls. Leave one bowl white; tint another with orange food coloring. For candy corn cookies, tint a third bowl yellow.
7. Once cookies are cool, frost pumpkin-shaped cookies with orange frosting. For ghost cookies, use white frosting and add two candy eyes. For candy corn cookies, frost the tip white, the middle orange, and the top yellow.