Small Batch Roll-Out Cookies Recipe

• 1. Preheat oven to 375℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Cream the butter and sugar in a 2-cup glass measuring cup with an immersion blender with a beaters attachment. Mix until light and creamy, about a minute.
• Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix for 15 seconds or until well combined.
• Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix and add the remaining flour. Mix until the dough forms a soft ball and is easily formed by hand.
• Lightly flour a workspace and your rolling pin. Roll out the dough 1/4 inch in thickness. Dip the cookie cutter in flour and cut out cookies.
• Gather the remaining dough and roll it out again. Cut out more cookies; you can roll them out one more time, but no more, as the resulting cookies will be tough. (We used a 4-inch cookie cutter and got six cookies.)
• 8. Place cookies at least one inch apart on the baking sheet. (Use a thin metal or silicone spatula to pick up cookies if they are sticking to the workspace.)
• Bake for 8 to 9 minutes. The cookie edges will just start to turn golden. Cool on pans for 6 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack.

For Icing

• Add 1 tbsp meringue powder and 2 1/2 Tbsp water to a 2-cup mixing bowl. Mix with an immersion blender with a beaters attachment (Not the whisk attachment, as it's too thick) until just combined.
• Add the powdered sugar, and stir by hand a few times. This will help reduce the amount of powdered sugar puff. Then, with the immersion blender with the beaters attachment, mix until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
• If you want looser icing, add 1/4 tsp of water at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Add coloring and mix well.
• A stiffer icing works well to outline the cookie surface. A slightly thinner icing works well if “flooding” the top of the cookie.
• After outlining and flooding, place the iced cookies in a 170-degree oven for 15 minutes. Cool the cookies completely before adding any other designs.
• Let cookies sit for 24 hours before stacking or placing cookies on top of each other. Cover a single layer of cookies lightly with plastic wrap. Handle gently.