Sugar Cookies

**Makes about  3 1/2 dozen, 2-inch cookies **

What you need

• 1/2 cup butter, preferably unsalted, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1tsp. lemon extract
• 1tbsp. milk

Icing

• 1 to 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar
• 1 egg
• Food coloring, sprinkles, silver balls, coloured sugar

What you do

Line baking sheets with parchment paper, or lightly grease baking sheets.  Using an electric mixer, beat butter with sugar until fluffy.  In a separate bowl, sift flour with baking powder and salt.  Beat into butter mixture until well blended. Beat in egg, lemon extract and milk until combined.

 Divide dough into 2 pieces; shape each into flattened rounds.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.  Before rolling out dough, preheat over to 350F.  Foll out dough with floured rolling pin on a floured surface, until dough is 1/8-inch thick.  Cut into shapes with cookie cutter, setting on baking sheet about 1 inch apart.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes.

Let cookies coll on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then cool completely on a rack.  Meanwhile, beat icing sugar and egg white together to a spreading or piping consistency.  If necessary, thin with a little water or milk.  Put icing into some small bowls and tint with food colouring if desired.  Decorate cookies with icing, sprinkles, silver candy balls or coloured sugar