Holiday Painted Cookies - cooking recipe

Ingredients

For the Cookies
1 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
1 cup sugar
4 egg whites (save the yolks for the paint)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons mace
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Paint
4 egg yolks
4 teaspoons water
food coloring (use your choice of colors)

Preparation

For cookies: in a large bowl combine butter with sugar, then egg whites, then vanilla extract; beat using an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
In another bowl combine the flour with baking powder, mace and salt; gradually stir into the butter mixture until well blended.
Divide dough in half, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
Set oven to 400\u00b0F Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (do not grease cookie sheets use parchment paper or silpat liner only).
On a very lightly floured surface roll out the dough into about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. (For children, place each cookie on parchment for painting.).
For the paint: blend egg yolks and water (one yolk to one teaspoon of water if you need more colors) to a smooth consistency. Divide into as many separate bowls as you wish for different colors. Add in food coloring until desired intensity is achieved.
Paint the cookies using one brush for each color (I use children's watercolor type brushes).
Carefully move painted cookies and place them 2-inches apart on lined cookie sheet. (Unless you painted them on parchment, then just transfer the parchment to the pan.) Bake 5-8 minutes, until just browned on the edges.
Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Note: to make cookies into ornaments, use a drinking straw to punch a hole near the top center of the cookie before baking, leaving enough room to insure the integrity of the cookie. Thread a ribbon through finished cookie to make a loop for hanging.