1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Use an electric mixer with a paddle attachment and cream the cold butter and sugar together until creamy. Beat in the half & half or heavy cream, vanilla extract and then the Eggland’s Best eggs one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl in between each egg.
3. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and beat on low until dough starts to form. a. If the dough is too wet, add a T of flour at a time until you get the desired consistency
4. Split the dough into 4 equal sections and on a floured surface roll it out to ¼ thickness and cut out your shapes. Repeat with the remaining dough until each section is used up.
5. Place cookies 2” apart on the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 7-9 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet ½ way through the baking. When the edges turn light brown, the cookies are done! Let them sit on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before you transfer to the cooling rack.
6. Let them cool completely on a cooling rack and frost immediately or store in an airtight container until your ready to frost for up to three days.

Glossy Hard Icing:

1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth.
2. Beat in corn syrup and vanilla extract until icing is smooth and glossy.
3. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
4. Split into separate bowls and add food coloring – paint or dip the cookies to coat.

Soft Icing:

1. Whisk the sugar and half & half and split into bowl and add colors.
2. Spread the icing on the cookies and add any decorations quickly before the icing sets.

Recipe Tips:

Put your decorations in muffin tins to make them easy for little fingers to grab and decorate. Cover the table with kraft paper for a quick clean up post decorating! Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 6 months, stack with parchment paper, and freeze!