On the Twelfth Day of Cookies...

I am so proud of these bad boys. This was my first time working with royal icing, and it went really well! I found Brown Eyed Baker's guide to decorating cookies extremely helpful through the whole process. Using royal icing, though time consuming, is quite easy and totally worth the extra effort. My only complaint was that my hand started cramping up after using the piping bags for awhile, but it was well worth it to get such professional looking cookies. I think it's safe to say my cookies will never look like this again! And, if you were wondering, the cookies themselves taste amazing! The little bit of cinnamon in the dough is just brilliant and really gives them an added boost of flavor.

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
(Source: Smells Like Home)

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon into a bowl.

2. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Divide dough into quarters; flatten each quarter into a disk. Wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 325°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Let one disk of dough stand at room temperature just until soft enough to roll, about 10 minutes. Roll out dough between two pieces of plastic wrap to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove top layer of plastic wrap. Cut out cookies with a 4-to-5-inch cookie cutter. Transfer cookie dough on plastic wrap to a baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to freezer, and freeze until very firm, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet from freezer, and transfer shapes to baking sheets lined with nonstick baking mats. Roll out scraps, and repeat. Repeat with remaining disk of dough.

4. Bake, switching positions of sheets and rotating halfway through, until edges are almost golden, 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Royal Icing
(Source: Smells Like Home)

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp meringue powder
4 1/2 tbsp water
1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matte appearance (about 7-10 minutes). Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl to an air-tight container. This will be the stiffest consistency of the icing, and at this point it is still too stiff to use for decorating. Add water a very small amount at a time and stir by hand until fully incorporated. Continue until the icing has reached a consistency appropriate for piping. (Remember, if you are having any difficulty piping, it is still too thick. Add a little more liquid and try again.) Using a pastry bag, pipe around the edges of each cookie. Let stand so the icing will set. Make sure to keep the leftover icing covered at all times when not in use so that it does not begin to harden.

2. Once all the cookies have been edged, transfer some of the remaining icing to a separate air-tight container. Thin out by incorporating a small amount of water at a time, until the icing drips off the spoon easily when lifted and then smooths in with that still in the bowl. If you go too far and the icing is too thin, add more sifted powdered sugar to thicken it again. Once the icing has reached the desired consistency, transfer it to a squeeze bottle (or a plastic bag with a hole in one corner), and flood the area surrounded by the piping on each cookie. If it does not completely spread to the edges, use a toothpick to help it along. Allow to set.