Italian Cookie Recipe by Created by Diane 

http://www.createdby-diane.com/2013/11/italian-cut-out-cookies.html ggs

Ingredients

5 eggs

1 1/2 cups salted butter melted and cooled (10 minutes)

5-6 cups flour

1 ¾ cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with melted butter until well blended.

In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, and baking powder, make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the egg mixture, and then vanilla. Mix until shiny, about 2 minutes. Cover bowl with waxed paper and let the dough stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. When rolling out this dough, don’t be afraid to add flour. It will not make the dough tough.

Roll out dough to 3/8″ thick and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Place on a prepared cookie sheet (parchment paper or silicone baking sheet).  Bake 12 minutes.  Let cookies completely cool before icing.  Makes at least 5 dozen (3 inch) cookies.

Glaze Icing

2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons water

1 Tablespoon corn syrup

Food coloring

In a small bowl mix together until smooth add more milk if too thick or confectioners’ sugar if too thin.

Add food coloring and mix well. I prefer Americolor food coloring.

When you pull up some icing on a spatula and drizzle it back into the bowl, the design should disappear in 10 seconds for the correct consistency.

Let icing set on decorated cookies before storing, this takes about 12 hours.  The cookies won’t go stale, the icing coats the tops, preserving the freshness.

Royal Icing

2 lbs confectioners sugar

⅓  cup meringue powder

¾ cup water

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place Sugar and Meringue Powder in a mixer with a whisk attachment and mix it so it’s blended.

Add ¾ cup water and vanilla extract and mix on medium-low until it’s combined about 3-5 minutes. Then turn the mixer on high and mix until it’s stiff and fluffy.

Now you add the amount of water you need for the consistency you’d like to work with.

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