Holiday Sugar Cookies

Holiday Sugar Cookies

For cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For frosting

9 cups (or more) powdered sugar (about 2 1/4 pounds)
4 1/2 tablespoons Just Whites (pasteurized powdered egg whites)*
12 tablespoons (or more) water
Assorted food colorings, preferably concentrated gel pastes in Golden Yellow, Violet, Moss Green, Red and Sky Blue

4 (or more) small disposable pastry bags

Plain round metal tips (1/16 to 1/8 inch in diameter; optional)

Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg over; stir to blend well. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead gently 1 minute. Shape dough into 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Cut into 4 equal pieces; wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours and up to 1 day. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter large baking sheet. Working with 1 dough piece at a time, roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness, lifting and turning dough often and dusting surface very lightly with flour to prevent sticking. Using floured 3- to 4-inch cutters, cut out cookies. Pull away excess dough from around cookies. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart (cookies will not spread).

If using cookies as hanging ornaments, push 1 end of drinking straw through dough near top of each cookie; lift straw, then remove small dough round from straw. Gently reroll dough scraps; cut out more cookies. Transfer to same sheet.