Romantic Valentines Cookies

Here's the recipe I use for Sugar Cookies and Royal Frosting. It is amazing! You must use the King Arthur Flour for the best Results. :-)

Best Ever Sugar Cookies

3 cups King Arthur’s all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place the butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick.

Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time.

Let the cookies sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or frost as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Best Ever Royal Icing

Makes 2 1/2 cups

1 box confectioners' sugar (1 pound)

2 large egg whites

4-5 tablespoons milk

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar and egg whites. Mixing on low speed increasing to medium speed. For a thinner consistency, usually used for flooding, add more water. A thicker consistency is generally used for outlining and adding details. Mix until icing holds a ribbon-like trail on the surface of the mixture for 5 seconds when you raise the mixer blades.

I hope you and your friends find these as delightful as me and my friends did. :-)