Cut-out sugar cookies with royal icing

Mix the all-purpose flour, baking powder and kosher salt together.

Cream room temperature butter with the sugar until well combined and smooth, not light and airy as for a cake.

Add the egg and vanilla, then all the flour at once, mixing as little as possible to keep the cookie tender; the dough is very stiff.

Wrap in plastic and chill at least an hour.

Working with half the dough at a time, let it soften slightly and roll on a minimally floured surface, lifting and rotating often so it does not stick, to an even eighth of an inch, no thicker than a quarter inch.

Cut out shapes with cutters spaced close together, pressing straight down with a slight wiggle; dip the cutter in flour if the dough is sticky; dust off excess flour.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes, rotating after about 8, until golden around the edge and pale in the center; cool on a wire rack.

For royal icing, beat two egg whites with a pinch of salt and a little vanilla until frothy, add the powdered sugar on low, then the lemon juice, holding some back to adjust; thin with a little warm water if needed. Keep covered so it does not crust.

Brush crumbs off the cookie, dip the top into the icing, wiggle, lift and scrape off the excess; pop air bubbles quickly with a toothpick; add sprinkles before it dries.

Variation: thicken a portion of the icing with more confectioner sugar until it loses some sheen and holds a line; fill a pastry bag with a small round tip, pipe an outline, let it set, then flood the inside with the looser icing, using a toothpick to fill gaps.

Let the icing set fully firm; store stacked in a container at room temperature.