Brown Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

Cookie

• 2.5 cups premium flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 165g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Special equipment: cookie cutters of any shape

Royal icing

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup dry egg white
• Food coloring (optional)
• Decorative sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
• Colored sprinkles (optional)

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar and butter with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes; beat in the egg, then the vanilla extract.
2. Add the flour mixture and mix on medium-low speed until the dough forms. Divide the dough in half, form into two disks about 0.5 cm thick, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.
3. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
4. Let the dough rest on the counter for a few minutes to make it easier to work with. Roll out one disk of dough at a time between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 0.3 cm.
5. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters and place them on prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 5 cm apart.
6. Bake until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom, 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until the fat is firm enough, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely.
7. Carefully gather all the dough scraps and form them into a ball. Flatten it, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Cut out as many cookies as possible and bake.
8. Royal icing:
   
   In a large bowl, beat the powdered sugar, dry egg white, and 1/3 cup water with a mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir in the food coloring, if using. The icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days..
9. Decorate the cookies with icing, and decorate with decorative sugar and colored sprinkles if desired.