Make the Sugar Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sugar and butter and mix on medium speed until well combined.
4. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
5. Gradually add flour mixture, scraping sides of bowl as needed until dough comes together.
6. Place wax paper on countertop and lightly flour surface.
7. Take half of the cookie dough and knead together and roll out to about 1/4-inch thickness with rolling pin.
8. Cut out bunny faces with cookie cutters and place striped straw into the bottom of the cookie about 1 ½” deep, then place onto prepared cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.
9. Place cookies into refrigerator for 20 minutes to chill. This will help the cookies keep their shape when baking.
10. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes.
11. Allow cookies to cool on pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to continue cooling.
12. Once cookies are cool, decorate with royal icing.

Make the Royal Icing:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder and mix on low.
2. Add water and beat on medium speed for 5 – 7 minutes until icing is fluffy and stiff peaks form.
3. Place icing in plastic airtight containers until ready to use.
4. Portion out icing into separate containers, using 1 container for each color you plan to use. It is best to work with about ½ cup to 1 cup of icing at a time depending on how much you need per color.
5. Use a toothpick and a small amount of gel coloring to tint icing.
6. To pipe details or outlines on cookies, place a small amount of icing in piping bag fitted with No. 2 round tip. Gently squeeze icing and trace the outline of your cookie or pipe snowflake details.
7. To flood cookies, thin the icing with 1 teaspoon water at a time. Stir icing with small spatula and continue to add water as necessary to reach desired flooding consistency. If you lift your spatula and the icing drips and falls back into itself after about 10 seconds, it is a good consistency.