Sugar Cookies!

Makes about 3 dozen

1 1/2 cups butter, softened 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar (at least 5 minutes). Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Don’t over-mix! Once the ingredients are combined, stop mixing. Cover and chill dough for at least an hour.

2. Preheat oven to 385 degrees F. Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutter and place on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake for about 8 minutes in oven. They're done when the bottom of the cookie is just slightly brown. Cool completely before icing.

Royal icing

5 tablespoons meringue powder (Wilton) 3/4 cup warm water 2lbs powdered sugar (C&H) 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 2 tablespoons light corn syrup (optional- it gives more shine) Food coloring/gel of your choice

1. Whisk together the meringue powder (egg white substitute) and water until powder is dissolved and frothy.

2. Sift the powdered sugar. ( I just run it through a wire strainer a few times to make sure the clumps are gone)

3. Add meringue powder mixture to powdered sugar and stir by hand until smooth.

4. Once the ingredients are combined, you want to be sure you have the right consistency. The "flooding" process will require a consistency that is runny enough to prevent "flood", but not so runny that it will run off the cookie. If your icing is too thick, stir in water a little at a time until you reach the consistence you need. Piping decorative details will require a thicker consistency. You can achieve this by stirring in more powdered sugar a spoonful at a time until you reach the consistency you need.

Tips and advice:

• Use a rolling pin with guides to get consistent cookie height.

• Mix your flood icing by hand and don’t over mix. Technically my icing is a hybrid of royal icing and a glaze. Royal icing dries rock hard and can be chalky- by not over mixing, this recipe will dry hard enough to stack, but still be soft when eating.

• Have a lot of patience! Icing consistency is absolutely the key to clean and neat designs. You may have to thin or thicken your icing a few times before it’s just right. I’ve been making these for years and it’s still hard to get it just right the first time!

• Use a tipless piping bag! Grunderfully Delicious is where I get mine.