Make Ahead

Butter Cookies with Lemon Royal Icing

Prep Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes Start to Finish: 2 Hours 45 Minutes 32 cookies

1 In large bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. On low speed, beat in egg, lemon peel and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt until well blended.

2 Divide dough into 4 equal parts; flatten each part into ½-inch-thick round. Wrap each in waxed paper or plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes.

3 Heat oven to 350°F. Remove 1 round of dough at a time from refrigerator. Between sheets of floured waxed paper or plastic wrap, roll dough until ¼ to ⅜ inch thick. Cut with 3-inch cookie cutters in various shapes. On ungreased cookie sheets, place cutouts 1 inch apart.

4 Bake 10 to 12 minutes or just until edges are golden. Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. To make cookies for hanging, use toothpick or end of plastic straw to carefully poke a hole in the top of each cookie while cookies are still hot. Cool 10 to 15 minutes before frosting.

5 In medium bowl, stir together powdered sugar and meringue powder. Stir in 5 teaspoons lemon juice and enough of the 4 to 5 tablespoons water to make a thin icing. Transfer ½ cup of the icing to small bowl; set aside. Using a flexible pastry brush, paint cookies to the edges with icing. Place on cooling rack to dry completely, about 30 minutes.

6 Beat reserved icing with electric mixer on high speed 5 to 7 minutes or until peaks form. Spoon into decorating bag or resealable bag with one corner cut off; pipe designs onto glazed cookies. Before icing dries, sprinkle with decorations, and tap off excess. Dry thoroughly on cooling rack. Thread cookies with narrow ribbon for hanging.

1 Cookie: Calories 140; Total Fat 4.5g (Saturated Fat 3g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 15mg; Sodium 100mg; Total Carbohydrate 24g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 1g Exchanges: 1½ Other Carbohydrate, 1 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1½

Make-Ahead Magic These cookies store well. Once frostings are set (including the decorations), place cookies between layers of cooking parchment or waxed paper, plastic wrap or foil, and freeze up to 2 months.