Christmas Recipe- Delicious Sugar Cookies With Royal Icing

Festive Christmas sugar cookies with royal icing are golden brown and crisp on the outside, but soft and tender on the inside. They are decorated with a meringue-based royal icing to make the perfect gourmet Christmas cookies.

Ingredients

Sugar Cookies

½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Royal Icing

3 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder
¼ cup room temperature water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
gel food colouring (optional)

Method

Make the Sugar Cookies

- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together using a hand mixer (or stand mixer) on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Turn the mixer to low speed and add baking powder and salt. Gradually add flour and mix until combined.

- Form the dough into a ball and wrap it tightly in plastic cling wrap. Freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate until firm (at least 1 hour, up to overnight).

- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a half sheet baking pan with parchment paperor silicone baking mat.

- Remove the dough from refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out until it is ¼-inch thick. Use Christmas cookie cutters to cut out cookie shapes.

- Transfer the cookies onto the lined baking sheet, placing them 1-inch apart. Re-roll any scraps and repeat to cut out more cookies.

- Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, until the edges start to turn golden brown. Let the cookies cook for a couple minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely (preferably overnight, if icing).

Prepare the Royal Icing

- In medium mixing bowl, combine confectioners' sugar with meringue powder. Add water and vanilla extract and beat with a hand mixer on medium-high speed, until smooth. If you find that the icing is too thick, add a little water (a teaspoon at a time). If you find the icing too thin, add a little more sugar.

- To colour the icing, add gel food colouring. You can also use liquid food colouring, but this will have a slight effect on the consistency of the icing. You may need to add a little more sugar to get the consistency right