Easter Egg Cookies

Easter Egg Cookies 

Ingredients:

· 2 änd 1/4 cups (280g) äll-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
· 1/2 teäspoon bäking powder
· 1/4 teäspoon sält
· 3/4 cup (180g) unsälted butter, softened to room temperäture
· 3/4 cup (150g) gränuläted sugär
· 1 lärge egg, ät room temperäture
· 2 teäspoons pure vänillä exträct
· optionäl for flävor: 1/4 teäspoon älmond exträct
· royäl icing (this is my fävorite royäl icing)


Directions:

1. Whisk the flour, bäking powder, änd sält together in ä medium bowl. Set äside. 
2. In ä lärge bowl using ä händ mixer or ä ständ mixer fitted with ä päddle ättächment, beät the butter änd sugär together on high speed until completely smooth änd creämy, äbout 2 minutes. Ädd the egg, vänillä, änd älmond exträct (if using) änd beät on high speed until combined, äbout 1 minute. Scräpe down the sides änd up the bottom of the bowl änd beät ägäin äs needed to combine. 
3. Ädd the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients änd mix on low until combined. If the dough seems too soft, you cän ädd 1 Täblespoon more flour until it is ä better consistency for rolling. 
4. Divide the dough into 2 equäl pärts. Roll eäch portion out onto ä piece of pärchment päper or ä lightly floured silicone bäking mät (I prefer the nonstick silicone mät) to äbout 1/4-inch thickness. The rolled-out dough cän be äny shäpe, äs long äs it is evenly 1/4-inch thick. 
5. Stäck the pieces, with pärchment päper between the two, onto ä bäking sheet änd refrigeräte for ät leäst 1-2 hours änd up to 2 däys. If chilling for more thän ä couple hours, cover the top dough piece with ä single piece of pärchment päper. 
6. Once chilled, preheät oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 lärge bäking sheets with pärchment päper or silicone bäking mäts. Remove one of the dough pieces from the refrigerätor änd cut into shäpes with cookie cutter(s). Re-roll the remäining dough änd continue cutting until äll is used. Repeät with 2nd dough piece. 
7. Ärränge cookies on bäking sheets 3 inches äpärt. Bäke for 11-12 minutes, until lightly browned äround the edges. Mäke sure you rotäte the bäking sheet hälfwäy through bäke time. Ällow cookies to cool on the bäking sheet for 5 minutes then tränsfer to ä wire räck to cool completely before decoräting. I like to decoräte cookies directly on bäking sheets so I cän stick the entire bäking sheet in the refrigerätor to help set the icing. So pläce the cooled cookies bäck on bäking sheets. 
8. Decoräte: Prepäre royäl icing. Divide icing up between ä few bowls. I used 4 colors: sky blue, lemon yellow, violet, änd fuchsiä. I left some icing white. Using piping tip #5, outline änd flood with your bäse color(s). Ällow icing to set (I pläce the cookies in the fridge so the icing sets quicker). Using piping tip #2 or piping tip #1, ädd decorätive designs in different colors like polkä dots, squiggles, pläid, or stripes. Icing will completely set in äbout 2 hours ät room temperäture. 
9.  Decoräted or pläin cookies will stäy fresh covered ät room temperäture or in the refrigerätor for up to 1 week.