Recipe Ingredients:
- 400g flour
- 1/2-teaspoon salt
- 1-teaspoon baking soda
- 225g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 200 g granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1-teaspoon vanilla extract
Royal Icing:
- 2 large egg whites
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 cups icing sugar, sifted
Recipe Method:
Sieve together the flour, salt, and baking soda thrice. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes) with an electric beater. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat well until you have a smooth dough. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about one hour or until firm enough to roll.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove one half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1 cm. Keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter.
Cut out desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to baking sheet. Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking. Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes (depending on size) or until the edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Frost with royal icing, if desired. Be sure to let the royal icing dry completely before storing.
For Royal Icing with Egg Whites: In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Add the sifted sugar and beat on low speed until smooth. If necessary, to get the right consistency, add more sugar or water. Add food coloring, if desired. The icing needs to be used immediately or put in an airtight container as it hardens when exposed to air. Sprinkle colored sprinklers onto wet icing if desired.
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