Cookie dough Preparation

1. Place the softened butter with the powdered sugar in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until the texture is creamy and smooth.
2. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again to incorporate them into a smooth dough.
3. Add the dry ingredients, flour, salt, and baking powder (optional), and beat again just until they are incorporated; stop mixing as soon as the mixture seems uniform.
4. Gather the cookie dough with your hands to form a ball.
5. Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Baking

1. Roll out the sugar cookie dough on a lightly floured surface or between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of about 3 mm.
2. Place the dough sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes before cutting out shapes with a cookie cutter.
3. Place your cut-out dough pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them about 5 cm apart.
4. Put the tray with the cookie cutouts in the freezer for 15 minutes to 30 minutes until well frozen.
5. Preheat the oven to 170°C (about 340°F) and bake the frozen cookies for 8 - 10 minutes until they are lightly golden around the edges and still soft and fragile in the center.
6. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
7. Once completely cooled, decorate them with royal icing, sugar paste, melted chocolate or marzipan.