Santa’s Whiskers Slice and Bake Cookies

14 Add the softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer.
0 Beat the softened butter until fluffy - about 30 seconds.
1 Add the sugar, milk, vanilla, and almond and beat until fluffy - about 1 minute. 
10 Stop and scrape down sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. 
2 With the mixer on low add the flour all at once and mix until just combined.
3 Stir in the chopped nuts and mix, then the chopped cherries. 
11 Mix until just combined and the dough starts to come together. It will appear very crumbly.
4 Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently with your hands until it comes together well. 
12 Divide into 2 portions and form each into an 8 inch log.
5 Sprinkle the coconut on a piece of wax paper, and roll each log in it until it is completely covered.
6 Wrap each log in wax paper and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. You can also freeze at this point.
7 When you're ready to bake remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap, and slice into ½  inch thick slices. If it's been frozen you'll need to let it thaw for a bit until it's soft enough to cut without crumbling.
13 Place 1 inch a part on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
8 Bake at 350° degrees for 12-14 minutes or until the edges and bottoms are just beginning to brown.
9 Cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet and then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.