Swirled Christmas Sugar Cookies

Instructions

1. FOR THE COOKIES: Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until combined.
2. With an electric hand mixer, cream the shortening and sugar in a large bowl on high speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix to combine. Gradually blend in flour mixture. 
4. Divide dough in half. Roll out each half on a lightly floured surface 3/8-inch thick. Cut with 2 to 3-inch Christmas cookie cutters. Place 2-inches apart on a parchment/silicone lined baking sheet.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven. Rest on cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes, then and transfer to a cooling rack.
6. FOR THE GLAZE: Sift powdered sugar into a 13x9-inch baking dish. Add corn syrup, 3 Tbsp of milk, and the almond extract. Whisk together. If glaze is still too stiff/dry, add another Tablespoon of milk. Should be thick, but pourable, and not so thin that it will run off the cookies. If more milk is needed, add it 1 teaspoon at a time. If too thin, add more powdered sugar. *Test glaze with a cookie before adding food coloring, to make sure the consistency is right.
7. Using several toothpicks, dip a little gel on the end of a toothpick and begin swirling through the glaze. Repeat until you have a good mix of red and green. NOTE: Leave a lot of white still showing, because the colors will mix as you start dipping cookies. 
8. Working QUICKLY, dip the surface of each cookie into the glaze, lift it up and then transfer it back to a cookie sheet or piece of parchment/wax paper. IMMEDIATELY top with snowflake sprinkles before glaze dries. *If glaze starts to dry while you are dipping, you can wiggle the cookies back and forth in the glaze as you are dipping to loosen it up. Let glaze set. Store cookies in an airtight container.