Conversation Heart Cookies

Sugar Cookies:

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth.
2. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
3. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Cover, and chill dough for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
6. Roll out dough, using powdered sugar on the surface and rolling pin ¼ to ½ inch thick.
7. Using assorted cookie cutters, stamp out the shapes you'd like to ice. (We used heart shape cookie cutters.)
8. Carefully, with a spatula, place cookies 1 inch apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
9. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Royal Icing:

1. To a stand mixer add the meringue powder and water on medium speed for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add in the powdered sugar and continue to mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
3. Set aside 1/3 of the icing for piping.
4. Add gel colors of your choosing and if you need to thin for thin piping add small amounts of water at a time.
5. Using a #5 tip on your piping bag, pipe a border first then fill in with the desired color with a larger tip, leaving a 1/2" border around the cookies.
6. If layering colors allow the first layer to dry for 2 hours.
7. Add white royal icing to piping bag and use to add writing on the cooking.