Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs

Cookies
Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1.5 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1.5 teaspoons butter flavored extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and flavorings and mix well. Stir flour, baking powder and salt together. Add to batter and mix well.

2. Chill 3-4 hours or overnight before using.

3. Roll cookies out approximately 1/4 inch thick and cut out with cookie cutters of choice. Re-roll any scraps and continue cutting out shapes.
4. Place cookies on cookie sheet, and freeze for 20 minutes. This helps the cookies keep their shape while baking. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. The dough keeps well in a covered container in the fridge for a couple of weeks, if desired.

Royal Icing - used to outline cookies, and Pourable Icing - to fill in the cookies


Ingredients

• 1.5Tablespoons Meringue Powder
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3 Tablespoons warm water

Directions

1. Beat all ingredients until icing forms stiff peaks (7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty stand mixer, 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer). Recipe makes 1.5 cups.

2. Pour icing into plastic piping bag, fitted with a #2 or #3 tip. Carefully outline each cookie, and leave out to try for 12 hours.

3. For pourable icing, mix 1 teaspoon warm water with royal icing. Stir until thick, pourable consistency is achieved. Tint with desired color.

4. Pour into a paper cone and barely cut tip off, leaving a pin-head size hole for icing to come out of. Starting at the top of the cookie, trace inside of outline and, in a back-and-forth motion, fill in cookie. Stop periodically and use cone tip to push icing around, otherwise you will end up with too much icing on the cookie. Let dry for at least 24 hours before packaging.