Festive Butter Cookies

Directions

1. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Shape dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to roll.
2. Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2-1/2-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
4. For icing, in a bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, water and meringue powder; beat on low speed just until blended. Beat on high 4-5 minutes or until soft peaks form.
5. Divide and tint icing with colors of your choice. Keep unused icing covered at all times with a damp cloth. If necessary, beat again on high speed to restore texture.
6. Working quickly with one color at a time, pipe outlines on some of the cookies; fill centers with thinned icing of the same color. Let stand until set.
7. If desired, add designs or writing to cookies. Let stand at room temperature for several hours or until icing is completely firm. Store in airtight containers.