I-Heart-You Cookies

Step 1 -In a medium bowl, add 2 1/4 cups of the flour, the baking powder, and the salt and whisk to combine.

Step 2 -In a large bowl, add the butter and the granulated sugar and use an electric handheld mixer to beat on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Step 3 -Add the egg, the vanilla, and the almond extract to the butter mixture and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute.

Step 4 -Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl and beat again, as needed, to combine.

Step 5 -Add the dry ingredients mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until just combined into a dough. The dough should be a bit soft but not too soft or sticky. If it is too soft and sticky for rolling, add up to 1 tablespoon of the extra flour.

Step 6 -Using the extra flour, dust a piece of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Step 7 -Divide the dough into 2 equal portions.

Step 8 -Place the dough portions on the prepared parchment paper and roll each of the dough portions out to about 1/4-inch thickness. If the dough seems too sticky, add the extra flour on top of the dough as you roll, as needed. Don't worry about the shape of the rolled-out dough portions.

Step 9 -Lightly dust the rolled-out dough portions with the extra flour.

Step 10 -Wrap the dough portions in parchment paper and then in plastic wrap.

Step 11 -Refrigerate the dough portions for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Step 12 -Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 13 -Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Step 14 -Carefully unwrap the dough portions and place them on a clean work surface.

Step 15 -Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut the dough portions into heart-shaped cookies, rerolling the dough and cutting until all of the dough is used. There should be about 20 cookies total.

Step 16 -Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, about 3 inches apart.

Step 17 -Bake, rotating the baking sheets as needed, until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned, about 11-12 minutes.

Step 18 -Transfer the baking sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.

Step 19 -Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.

Step 20 -In a large bowl, add the confectioners' sugar, the meringue powder, and 9 tablespoons of the water and use a clean electric handheld mixer to beat on high speed until combined into an icing, about 1 minute 30 seconds-2 minutes. If the icing is too thick, add the extra water, a little at a time, until it reaches a consistency that can be drizzled. Royal icing will thicken the longer you beat it.

Step 21 -Divide the icing into separate bowls, one bowl for each of the intended icing colors.

Step 22 -Add 1 drop of the gel food coloring to each of the separate bowls of frosting and stir to combine.

Step 23 -Using piping bags, decorate the cookies. To cleanly ice the cookies, pipe an outline of icing around the edges of the cookies, then fill the center.

Step 24 -Allow the icing to mostly set, about 2 hours. If you intend to use any of your icing for writing, cover the icing with a damp paper towl directly on the surface to ensure it doesn't harden while the icing sets on the cookies.

Step 25 -Using a clean piping bag fitted with a round piping tip #2, use the desired frosting color to pipe writing onto the cookies.

Step 26 -Allow the written icing to set, about 2-3 hours.

Step 27 -Serve.