Sugar cookies with painted icing

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups cake flour (not self-rising) + extra for work
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 220 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Royal icing, for decorating (see recipe)

Preparation:

1. Sift cake flour, baking powder, and salt on a sheet of parchment paper or in a medium bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture in two additions.
2. Divide the dough in half and divide it between two pieces of plastic wrap; form into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. The dough can also be frozen for up to 1 month; defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with one disk of dough at a time, roll it out on a floured work surface, dusting with flour as needed, until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Using 2- to 4-inch cookie cutters, cut out shapes from the dough; place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. If the dough becomes too soft while working, return it to the refrigerator to firm up again. Gather the scraps and refrigerate; then roll out again to cut out more cookies. Refrigerate the shapes for 30 minutes.
4. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the cookies are slightly puffed and golden brown, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.

5. Basic royal icing

   
   In a large bowl, whisk together 450 g of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of dry egg whites. Add 5 tablespoons of water and beat with a mixer on medium speed until soft, glossy peaks form, adding an additional 1 tablespoon of water if necessary. Cover the bowl with a damp paper towel and plastic wrap until ready to use to prevent the glaze from drying out.
   Exit: about 2 and 1/4 cups

6. Cover the cookies completely with royal icing

   
   Transfer about 0.5 cups of royal icing to a resealable plastic bag and snip off a small corner. Pipe a thin border around the edges of each cookie. Let sit for a few minutes. Thin the remaining icing with a few drops of water until it reaches the consistency of syrup.
   
   Place half the liquid icing in a zip-lock plastic bag and tint the remaining portion with red and/or green gel food coloring. Transfer the colored icing to the bags. Snip off the corner of the bag with the white icing and pipe it inside the border, completely covering the cookies.
   
   Using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the icing to coat the cookies. Decorate the cookies with colored icing before the white icing sets. Let the cookies set at room temperature for at least 1 hour.