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  In a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), beat the vegan butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch, milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and sea salt and mix again to combine.
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  Add about ⅓ of the flour (just eyeball it, no need to be exact) with the baking powder. Mix slowly to roughly combine then add the rest of the flour and mix again until completely combined. Scrape down the sides as necessary. Towards the end get in there with a spatula/spoon and give it a quick mix by hand to make sure all the flour in the bottom and sides is picked up. It will look crumbly but don't worry.
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  Using your hands (inside the bowl or on a clean counter) gently squeeze and knead the crumbly dough into a smooth ball then lift it out onto a piece of parchment paper the size of a large baking sheet. Top with a second piece of parchment paper, and roll to a thickness of ¼ inch (6mm). If you only have smaller baking sheets cut the dough in half and roll out in 2 batches.
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  At this point, you can cut and bake the cookies and they won't spread, but for ease of cutting and the best sharp, clearly defined edges I recommend chilling as per the next step.
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  Slide the dough, (still between the two pieces of parchment paper) onto a baking sheet. If you rolled it out in 2 smaller batches you can lay them gently on top of each other on one baking sheet. Pop in the freezer for 10 minutes, or chill in the fridge for 30 minutes (or up to 3 days).

  If keeping the dough in the fridge for over 24 hours cover the tray with plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out.
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  When ready to bake preheat your oven to 400℉ (200℃) and place a shelf ready in the middle of the oven.
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  Remove the cookie dough from the fridge. Peel off the top sheet of parchment paper, cut out shapes with cookie cutters and arrange them on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. If using different-sized cutters group small cookies together and larger ones together as the cooking time will vary slightly.
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  Re-roll scraps of dough by pressing them together and then rolling them out between the parchment paper. If at any point the dough starts to get too soft, chill or freeze it for 5 to 10 minutes before continuing.
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  I recommend baking the cookies one baking sheet at a time on the middle shelf for even cooking. Put extra baking sheets of cookies in the fridge or freezer while they are waiting their turn.
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  Bake for 7 to 8 minutes (based on 2½ to 3-inch cookies at ¼ inch thick on a light-colored baking sheet). Time will vary slightly depending on size so use your judgment. They should be pale with a hint of golden on the bottom.

  If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time and add an extra minute to make up for the heat lost when opening the door.
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  Allow them to cool slightly on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Make sure they have cooled completely before decorating.

FOR THE ICING

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  To a medium bowl add the powdered sugar, syrup, vanilla, and salt. Gradually add the water a little at a time. Be careful as you hardly need any water. Add it in very small amounts and mix really well between additions. It will go from looking like it's way too dry, to perfect in the blink of an eye. You are looking for a thick consistency suitable for piping. If you lift the whisk and drizzle the icing into the bowl, the ribbon of icing it makes should hold its shape for a few seconds before melting back into the icing. I usually end up using 2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon of water.
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  If using gel food coloring add it now. Use only 1 to 2 drops at first, stir it in then add a little more as needed. Bear in mind that the color will darken as it dries.
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  Decorate the cookies as desired and place them on a wire rack or baking tray to dry. It doesn't take too long to dry but I like to decorate them directly on a baking tray so that I can pop the entire thing in the fridge to speed up the setting.