Easy German Cut-Out Cookies - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
1 individual packet vanilla sugar
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon baking powder
Glaze:
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice, or more if needed
1 drop assorted food coloring (optional)
1 (1.75 ounce) package multicolored candy sprinkles, or as desired (optional)

Preparation

Combine butter, white sugar, vanilla sugar, and egg in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Mix flour and baking powder; add to butter mixture with electric mixer on lowest setting until dough becomes crumbly. Work dough crumbles with your hands into a smooth dough and place into a sealable container. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 to 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured surface and cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart onto the prepared baking sheets.
Pick up all the left over dough, press together into a ball, and repeat the rolling and cutting out process until all the dough is used up.
Bake in the preheated oven until edges are lightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully removing to a wire rack with a knife or thin spatula to cool completely.
To make glaze, mix together powdered sugar and lemon juice until it has a smooth and spreadable consistency. Add more lemon juice if you like a thinner glaze. Add food coloring if you like. Brush frosting on cooled cookies and add chocolate sprinkles or sugar sprinkles as you like.