Joe Thomas' Cut Out Sugar Cookies - Exmark's Backyard Life

Ingredients

• 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks) cold & cut into chunks
• 1 cup granulated sugar (or vanilla sugar)
• 1 egg
• 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 vanilla bean scraped (optional)
• 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 cups (480g) confectioners sugar, sifted (I use and recommend Domino brand)
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder (not plain egg white powder)
• 9–10 tablespoons room temperature water
• optional for decorating: gel food coloring