- Cream together the butter with the sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and egg and mix again until the egg is just incorporated - Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix again until just combined.
- Cut out using a cookie cutter and transfer to the cookie sheet. - Bake for 8-9 minutes rotating at 6 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before icing the cookies.
- To make the royal icing, in a bowl combine the powdered sugar with meringue powder and water. Whisk until combined. We are looking for 15 seconds consistency for outlining and 8-10 seconds for flooding.
- I use Wilton disposable pipping bags, and secure with a small rubber band. You can use a tip or not, but if you use a tip then a coupler is recommended so that the tip is not pushed inside.
- I use #2 tip to outline and flood the cookies. Outline and flood the cookies first, and then decorate starting from the first cookie you flooded so that it’s set and the decorations are not submerged with the flooding.