• Cream the butter and sugar. Place the butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat them together using the paddle attachment for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
• Scrape down the sides. Scrape the mixture down and add the egg, one egg yolk, and the vanilla. Mix until combined.
• Add the remaining ingredients. Pour the flour, salt, and baking powder into the mixing bowl and mix them into the batter until just combined.
• Chill the dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape it into a ball. Then flatten it into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for 1 to 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven and shape the cookies. Once chilled preheat the oven to 325º F. Line 2 to 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Sprinkle your work surface with flour and roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Using cookie cutter cut out your cookies and place them on the prepared baking sheet. To maintain the ideal dough texture, be quick in your work to prevent it from warming up too much. Should you notice it getting too soft, pause your process and return any unused dough to the refrigerator. Allow it to chill for about 10 minutes to regain its desired firmness.
• Bake and cool. Place your formed cookies onto baking sheets, ensuring they're spaced about 3 inches apart. Bake in the oven for approximately 12-15 minutes, or until the edges show signs of setting. If your oven has uneven heating, consider rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking duration for uniform results. After baking, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before gently transferring them to a wire rack. Allow them to cool completely before starting the delightful decorating process.

Royal Icing

• Make the royal icing. Combine the powdered sugar and meringue powder in the mixing bowl of an electric mixer. Next, gradually incorporate the water until you achieve a pleasantly thick frosting consistency. Continue beating at a medium speed for approximately 5 minutes or until stiff peaks become evident.
• Coloring the icing. Divide the frosting into separate bowls, each designated for the different colors you intend to employ in your decorating (the icing will be very thick). Introduce food coloring to each bowl until you attain your desired shade.
• Thin the icing. Gradually incorporate water into each color, adding one teaspoon at a time, until the consistency is akin to that of toothpaste. This will be your outlining consistency, suitable for piping borders, edges, or crafting intricate words and designs.
• Place the icing in bags. Transfer a portion of each color at this consistency into its own piping back and twist the ends closed. If you want to use "flood consistency" icing keep gradually diluting the remaining icing with additional water, adding one teaspoon at a time, until you achieve a pleasing consistency where it melds back into itself within 5-10 seconds. This texture should closely resemble that of honey.