By emily Croft, Staff writer

Ingredients: 

1 cup butter 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1 cup sugar 

2 teaspoon baking powder 

1 large egg 

3 cups flour

Fun cookie-cutters

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in egg and vanilla. Mix baking powder and flour, add one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. The dough will be very stiff; blend the last of the flour in by hand. (If dough becomes too stiff, add water, one teaspoon at a time). Do not chill dough. Divide dough into 2 balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball into a circle approximately 12 inches in diameter and .5 inch thick. Dip cookie-cutters in flour before each use. Bake cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet on the top rack of the oven for 6 to 7 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned. Recipe makes 20 to 24 average size cookies.

Royal Icing Recipe for Cookies

Ingredients: 

3 tablespoons Wilton Meringue Powder 

1 pound (4 cups) confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar) 

6 tablespoons warm water 

Beat all ingredients by hand until icing forms peaks. Keep adding water to thin it down. Then add in any food colorings to the icing for decorating.