By now, you all know my love of a good cookie decorating party runs incredibly deep! My daughter invited a few of her girlfriends to our home for Galentine's Day and we had an absolute blast decorating cookies and enjoying our time together.

Hare is the recipe for both the cookies and the icing that I love to use!

Rolled Sugar Cookies (courtesy of AllRecipies.com)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight). 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. (Put them in the freezer for 30 minutes.) Place cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely. 

Royal Icing (courtesy of bakingamoment.com)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons meringue powder 
6 tablespoons water
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
Gel paste icing colors for tinting (optional)
Additional water for thinning (optional)

Directions

Place the meringue powder and water in a large mixing bowl, and
whip (with the whisk attachment) until foamy (about 3 minutes).

Add the powdered sugar, and whip on medium speed until very stiff
and thick (the royal icing should hold a stiff peak).

Tint as needed with gel paste icing colors. Thin with additional water, a drop at a time, to get the desired consistency.