Root Beer Float Cookies!

During my Junior year at BYU

a friend of mine introduced me to the world's eighth wonder: Root Beer Float Cookies.

They blew my mind.  

How could a cookie taste just like a root beer float!? 

But they did. 

And they were delicious.

And I was dumb enough to never ever get that recipe.

So 5+ years later, I suddenly have a craving for those cookies.....
Thanks to Google, a dozen recipes for these little treats were just a mouse click away!

(So glad I wasn't born during the days of pioneers.)

I took bits and pieces of different recipes to come up with what I thought would make the yummiest cookie.  It was an all-afternoon project, but the results were worth it.
So here you go.
Something different to make tomorrow for Memorial Day.
(I got several "these are some of the best cookies I've ever had" comments, so they're a great ego booster for all mediocre chefs out there like myself looking to feel better about their cooking and baking skills!)

Holly's Root Beer Float Cookies 

Cookie Ingredients:
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
3-4 Tbsp root beer extract (this is a lot more than most recipes call for because I like my cookies root-beery! So....add to taste!?)
2 tsp vanilla
4 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Frosting Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp half and half
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 ounces cream cheese (this is optional, I just really like cream cheese!)

Instructions:
1. In large mixing bowl, combine sugars and butter and mix until creamy.
2. Add milk, eggs, root beer extract, and vanilla until well blended.
3. Add flour, baking soda, and salt (previously sifted together).  Mix until soft dough forms.
4. Drop dough in 1-1 1/2 teaspoon-sized balls onto prepared cookie sheet 2 inches apart. (I have a little cookie scoop and it worked great.  Also, for those of you who love baking cookies, invest in a silpat.  You'll never have to grease a cookie sheet again!)
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until cookies are barely turning golden on the edges. (I had to majorly adjust the baking time here.  Several recipes said to bake the cookies for 10 minutes.  If I baked mine longer than 7 minutes, they were overdone and crispy.  I like my cookies soft.....so you may want to experiment....)
6. Once cookies cool completely, frost them.  Make the frosting by doing the following:
7. Blend butter, half and half, vanilla, and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.  Slowly beat in powdered sugar.  Lightly frost each cookie (it's like the scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of the root beer!  Yum, yum!)
8. Recipe makes between 4-5 dozen cookies.  That is a lot of cookies.  So you may half the recipe if you'd like, or you can share!