valentine's day cookies from reynolds® kitchens

Ingredients

• Servings: 24
• cookies:
• 1 (16.5 ounce) package refrigerated dough
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• icing:
• 1 (16 ounce) box confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder (powdered egg whites)
• 6 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon flavoring extract (optional)
• food coloring
• decorations:
• red food coloring
• red and pink sugar crystals
• white nonpareils

Recipe

• preheat oven to 350 degrees f.
• line cookie sheets with reynolds® parchment paper; set aside. no need to add extra grease or spray your cookie sheets. knead flour into dough until well blended. roll out half of cookie dough at a time to 1/4-inch thickness between lightly floured sheets of parchment paper. using valentine cookie cutters, cut out cookies; place on parchment-lined cookie sheets.
• bake 7 to 12 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies or until the edges begin to brown. let stand one minute on cookie sheets. slide parchment paper with cookies a wire racks to cool completely.
• icing and decorating: beat powdered sugar, meringue powder, water and extract in a large bowl, with an electric mixer, on high speed until smooth and thick, about 1 minute.
• divide icing into 3 small bowls. leave one bowl of icing white. stir food coloring in remaining 2 bowls to make pink and red icing of desired color. cover icing tightly when not in use, icing dries quickly.
• pipe outlines of cookies with contrasting colors of icing using a decorating bag with tip. or, place icing in plastic zipper bags. snip off one corner with scissors and use to pipe icing.