Cutest Valentines Day Sugar Cookie with Royal Icing | Perfect Heart Shapes

Instructions:

1. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat the cold, cubed butter and granulated sugar together until combined but not fluffy. Note: Over creaming incorporates too much air, which causes the cookies to puff and then collapse.
2. Add the liquids. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract until the yolk is fully incorporated.
3. Incorporate the dry ingredients. Gradually add the flour, baking powder, and salt on low speed until the dough just clings to the paddle.
4. Chill the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm to the touch.
5. Roll the dough. On a lightly flour dusted surface, roll the dough to exactly 6mm thickness.
6. Cut the hearts. Use your favorite heart shaped cutters to stamp out shapes, keeping them as close together as possible to minimize scraps.
7. Second chill. Place the cut shapes on a tray and freeze for 10 minutes before baking. This is the secret to sharp edges.
8. Bake the cookies. Bake at 175°C for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are just barely a pale gold and the centers look matte.
9. Prepare the icing. Whisk the meringue powder and warm water until foamy, then slowly add the sifted confectioners' sugar.
10. Achieve consistency. Add water drop by drop until the icing reaches a 15 second consistency.
11. Color the icing. Divide the icing into three bowls. Leave one white, tint one soft pink, and tint one bold red.
12. Flood and decorate. Outline the heart with white icing, then immediately fill the center. While wet, drop small dots of red icing onto the pink flood and drag a scribe tool through them to create a chain of tiny hearts.
13. Allow the decorated Cookie with Royal Icing to dry undisturbed for at least 12 hours. If you touch them too soon, you'll crack the beautiful glass like surface.