Sugar Cookies - Flooding Icing

I have just two more Easter recipes to share. I made my favorite sugar cookies but decided to get creative with the frosting with a process called flooding. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be and a lot more fun! Here is how to do it:

Vanilla-Almond Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

3 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1 c. sugar
2 sticks (salted) butter, cold & cut into chunks
1 egg
1 1/4 T. vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the flour and baking powder, set aside. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and vanilla and mix. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom.

The dough will be crumbly, so knead it together with your hands as you scoop it out of the bowl for rolling.

Roll on a floured surface to about 1/4" to 3/8" thick, and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets or Silpat mats. Freeze the cut shape on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before baking. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Royal Icing

Ingredients:

4 T. meringue powder
scant 1/2 c. water
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp light corn syrup
few drops clear extract (optional)

Directions:

Combine the meringue powder and water. With the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, beat until combined and foamy.

Sift in the powdered sugar and beat on low to combine. (Do NOT skip the sifting!) Add in the corn syrup and extract if desired.

Increase speed to med-high/high and beat for about 5 minutes, just until the icing is glossy and stiff peaks form.

(You should be able to remove the beater from the mixer and hold up and jiggle without the peak falling.) Do not over beat.

Color using gel paste food colorings.

Once your colors are mixed, add water a teaspoon at a time to thin it for flooding. Stir the water in with a rubber spatula, rather than beating it. Hold your rubber spatula over the bowl and let some icing fall back into the bowl. The ribbon of icing should disappear into the rest of the icing in about 2-3 seconds, counting "one-one thousand, two-one thousand". The consistency should be that of syrup.

When decorating the cookies simply add the colors you desire. Using a toothpick swirl the colors to get the tie-die look. Dry completely before stacking the cookies for storage.