Festive Butter Cookies

Directions

• 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.
• 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.
• Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.