⭐ Sugar Cookie Cutouts with Royal Icing

Ingredients

• Cookies

• 1 cup Butter, unsalted, softened (2 sticks)
• 1 cup Granulated sugar
• 1 Eggs, large, room temperature
• 1½ tsp Vanilla extract
• 2¾ cup All-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• ½ tsp Table salt

• Royal icing

• 3 cup Powdered sugar, sifted
• 3 Liquid egg whites, pasteurized (from a carton), about 6 tablespoons
• ½ tsp Lemon juice (bottled), or vanilla

Nutrition

Steps

You’ll need: stand or hand mixer, rolling pin, cookie cutters, 2 baking sheets, parchment paper, cooling racks, piping bags or zip-top bags, small bowls for colors.

1. Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt, then mix them in on low speed just until no dry flour shows. Don’t taste the raw dough: raw flour and raw eggs can carry germs (FDA and CDC). Bake first, then taste.
3. Divide the dough in half, flatten each into a disk, wrap, and chill at least 1 hour (up to 3 days). Cold dough keeps sharp edges.
4. Heat the oven to 350°F and line the sheets with parchment. Roll one disk between two sheets of parchment, or on a floured counter, to ¼ inch thick. Cut shapes and set them 1 inch apart. Gather the scraps, chill, and roll again.
5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden. Cool 5 minutes on the sheet, then on a rack until completely cool before icing.
6. Make the icing: beat the powdered sugar, egg whites and lemon juice on medium-high for 4 to 5 minutes, until thick and glossy. Use pasteurized egg whites, because this icing is never cooked (FDA advises pasteurized eggs for raw-egg recipes).
7. For outlines, keep the icing thick. For filling in (“flooding”), stir in water a few drops at a time until a ribbon of icing sinks back in about 10 seconds. Tint small bowls with gel food coloring. Keep the bowls covered with a damp towel; the icing crusts fast.
8. Pipe an outline, let it set 10 minutes, then flood the middle and nudge it into the corners with a toothpick. Add sprinkles while it’s wet. Let the cookies dry, uncovered, 6 hours or overnight before stacking.