Soft Cut-out Sugar Cookies

Soft Cut-out Sugar Cookies
1 flat baking sheet, cookie cutters, 2 mixing bowls
Modified from https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/soft-cut-out-sugar-cookies/
An invention of desperation because I hate crunchy sugar cookies. This works at high altitude.

COOKIES -
2 3/4 cups (358g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1 cup (224g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
BETTY CROCKER ROYAL ICING -
4 cups (480g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 Tablespoons meringue powder
8 Tablespoons room temperature water

COOKIES -
- Combine the flour, cornstarch and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar to a large mixer bowl and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until well creamed. You should notice that it gets lighter in color and creamier in texture.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix just until the dough is well combined. Do not over-mix. Help it along with a spatula if need be.

Refrigerate cookie dough for at least an hour or up to 3 days.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat.

Bring a portion of the cookie dough back to room temperature so it’s easier to work with and roll to 1/4 inch thickness between two sheets of parchment paper. Place in freezer for 5 minutes. Remove cookie dough from freezer, peel off the top layer of parchment paper and immediately cut into shapes. Transfer cookies to cookie sheet.

Bake for 7-10 minutes or just before they start to brown on the edges. Allow the cookies to cool for 3-5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Repeat until you're out of dough.

BETTY CROCKER ROYAL ICING -
In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat all of the icing ingredients together on high speed for 5 minutes. (I always start with 8 Tablespoons of water. On particularly dry days, up to 9-10!) When lifting the whisk up off the icing, the icing should drizzle down and smooth out within 10-15 seconds. If it's too thick, add a little more water. If it's too thin, add a little more sifted confectioners' sugar.