Here’s the perfect cookie to bake—and decorate—when the arrival of spring brings a burst of colour back into our world. A basket of these colourful sweet treats would make a lovely Easter hostess gift. We use springtime-themed cookie cutters, choosing shapes like butterflies, flowers and bunnies. And, of course, the cookies taste just as good at any time of year.

Makes about 36 cookies

PREP TIME: 30 minutes
CHILLING TIME: at least 1 hour, 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10 to 12 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Easy Royal Icing
• Gel food colouring of your choice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract until well combined.
3. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, stirring just until combined.
4. Divide the dough into four even-sized pieces and form each piece into a disc. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
5. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, then set aside.
6. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one disc of dough to ¼-inch thickness. Using large (about 3-inch) springtime-themed cookie cutters, cut out cookies, rerolling the scraps once. (Rerolling the dough more than once makes the cookies tough.) Place the cookies, 1 inch apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Refrigerate the sheets of cookies for about 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
7. Bake the cookies on two separate racks of the oven until just golden, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking time. Remove the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough. (The undecorated cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or frozen, with parchment paper between the layers, for up to 2 months.)
8. When you’re ready to decorate the cookies, divide the royal icing among as many bowls as you have food colours. Stir enough colour into each bowl of icing to tint it to your taste.
9. Spoon each colour of icing into a separate piping bag. Decorate the cookies with royal icing.

BAKING DAY SECRETS:

• To fill a piping bag, twist the tip on firmly to prevent the icing from leaking out.
• Place the bag, tip down, in a tall glass or jar, folding down the sides of the piping bag over the glass.
• Spoon in the icing, then lift up the sides of the bag, twisting them together tightly.