FOURTH OF JULY SUGAR COOKIES RECIPES

Steps:

• Make the cookies: Sift flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a large bowl.
• Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, then vanilla. Refrigerate dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll out dough to a scant 1/4-inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut out cookies using a 1 3/4-, 2 1/4-, 2 3/4-, or 3 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, rerolling scraps once. Transfer to a baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Bake until edges just start to brown, 17 to 19 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack, and let cool completely.
• Decorate the cookies: Pipe an outline of white icing around edge of 1 cookie, leaving a 1/4-inch border, then "flood" with more white icing to cover.
• Immediately pipe a red or blue dot in the center of cookie. Then pipe concentric rings of colors around the center dot (using the same color as the dot, or alternating colors).
• Immediately drag a toothpick through the colors to create bursts, starting from the center dot and working toward the edge, then alternate dragging inward and outward as you work around the cookie. (Or drag around the cookie in 1 direction or curve the lines for a pinwheel effect.) Let dry. Repeat with remaining cookies and icings.

Steps:

• Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
• Add sugar and salt and beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Add egg; beat until well blended, about 1 minute.
• Reduce speed to low and beat in vanilla.
• Add flour and beat on low speed just to blend.
• Gather dough into ball; divide in half.
• Form each half into a ball and flatten into a disk.
• Wrap disks separately in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 4 hours.
• Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep Chilled.
• Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350'F.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out the dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper to 1/8" thickness for smaller (2-inch) cookies and 1/4" thickness for larger (3- to 4-inch) cookies.
• Using decorative cookie cutters, cut out cookies and transfer to prepared sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.
• If cookies become too soft to transfer to baking sheets, place in the freezer on waxed paper for 5 minutes before continuing.
• Gather scraps, roll out the dough, and cut more cookies, repeating until all dough is used.
• If not icing cookies, decorate with sprinkles or other toppings as desired.
• Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are firm on top and golden around edges, about 10-12 minutes for smaller cookies and up to 14 minutes for larger cookies.
• Cool completely on the rack.
• Decorate with Royal Icing, then sprinkles or other toppings as desired.
• Let stand until icing sets.
• Can be made 4 days ahead.
• Place powdered sugar in your mixer (I like my whisk attachment, but use what you like)
• Mix lemon juice into warm water.
• Add water/lemon juice mixture to powdered sugar and blend
• It should be the consistency of syrup.
• Divide into containers and color as desired