⁘ anna bakes cupcakes ⁘

2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed for rolling and work surface
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl using a handheld or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Add the egg, and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be a bit soft. If the dough seems too soft and sticky for rolling, add 1 more Tablespoon of flour.
Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Place each portion onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use more flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.
Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours and up to 2 days.

Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F.
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Using cookie cutters, cut the dough into shapes.
Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with 2nd dough piece.
Arrange cookies on baking sheets 1-2 inches apart.
Bake for 9-10 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

Pour confectioners’ sugar, meringue powder, and 9 Tablespoons of water into a large bowl.
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat icing ingredients together on high speed for 1.5 – 2 minutes. When lifting the whisk up off the icing, the icing should drizzle down and smooth out within 5-10 seconds. If it’s too thick, beat in more water 1 Tablespoon at a time. Keep in mind that the longer you beat the royal icing, the thicker it becomes. If your royal icing is too thin, just keep beating it to introduce more air OR you can add more sifted confectioners’ sugar.
Dip the cooled cookies into the icing, and top with sprinkles. No need to cover the decorated cookies as you wait for the icing to set. If it’s helpful, decorate the cookies directly on a baking sheet so you can stick the entire baking sheet in the refrigerator to help speed up the icing setting.
When applied to cookies or confections in a thin layer, icing completely dries in about 2 hours at room temperature.