Sugar cookies with icing

Ingredients:

For shortcrust pastry:

• 2 cups of flour for baking, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp fine salt
• 0.5 cups (110 g) butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract

For the glaze:

• 450 g powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp meringue powder
• 1/3 cup warm water (up to 35 C)
• Food coloring (optional)
• Assorted decorations made from colored sugar and candy pieces

Preparation:

1. To make the cookies: Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until lightly fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Gradually add all the sifted dry ingredients to the mixture, one spoon at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Divide the dough in two: refrigerate one half, and roll the other half out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 0.4–0.5 cm. Cut the dough using cookie cutters. (For medium-sized cookies, use 6-cm cookie cutters.) Place the cookies 5 cm (2 inches) apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Refrigerate the sheet for a few minutes before baking. This will help the cookies maintain their shape during baking. (You can use the dough scraps to make new batches of cookies.) Bake until the edges of the cookies are browned, 8–10 minutes. (If baking two baking sheets at once, switch the positions of the sheets halfway through baking.) Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 1–2 minutes before letting them cool completely.
3. To prepare the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and warm water. Stir until the icing is smooth. Control the consistency of the icing by adding more sugar or water as needed. Add food coloring if desired. Spread the icing on the cooled cookies and top with your choice of decorations.
   
   Additional information: Meringue powder is sold in jars. It is used in place of egg whites in many icing recipes.