Chocolate Egg Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

Directions

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, chocolate extract and salt and blend until well incorporated.

In another bowl, whisk together the cocoa, flour and baking powder until no lumps are left.

Slowly add the dry mixture to the butter mixture and combine just until the flour and cocoa mixture is combined.

Form the dough into a ball and place on plastic wrap. Flatten into a disk and wrap the dough.

Let the dough chill for an hour.

After the dough has chilled, cut it into two halves.

Roll each half out between 2 sheets of parchment paper to about 1/4 inch thickness. I made mine a bit thicker.

Cut out your small and large egg cookie shapes. You will end up with about 7 large and 13 small.

Place the shapes on your cookie sheets, being careful not to overcrowd.  Chill for 10 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the large shapes for about 11 minutes.

Bake the small cookies for about 9 minutes.

Cool cookies on the pan for 10 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.

Make the royal icing

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the confectioners sugar, meringue powder and salt at a low speed until combined.

Add 3/4 cup of water and vanilla, beating until combined.

Scrape sides of bowl, and increase mixer speed to medium low.

Beat until icing is light in color and holds a stiff peak, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to icing until it reaches the right flood consistency. To test flood consistency, scoop out a spoonful and drop it back into the bowl.  It should take 15 to 20 seconds for the surface of the icing to become completely smooth.

Divide the icing into as many bowls as you like and add a few drops of gel color to each to achieve the desired colors.

Fill your piping bags with the individually colored icing and fit the bags with your piping tips.

Make sure your cookies are completely cool before you begin decorating them.

Begin by outlining the cookies.

Flood the cookies by going back and forth horizontally and filling in the outline with the icing.

When all your cookies have been outlined and flooded, let them dry for 4-6 hours, or overnight before decorating them.

You can store your icing in airtight containers, then add a bit more water when you are ready to decorate them.

* I used disposable piping bags and #4 or 5 piping tips for outlining and flooding the cookies.  Tip numbers 1-3 are for squiggles, polka dots and writing.  (See my photos above for ideas and instructions)

Store your cookies in airtight containers for about 4-5 days. They can also be frozen!