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1
null In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
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2
Beat in the egg yolks, vanilla and salt, then beat in the 2 1/2 cups of flour at low speed.
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3
Divide the dough in thirds and pat into disks.
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4
Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
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5
Preheat the oven to 350 and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
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6
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one disk of dough inch thick.
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7
Using a 3-inch cookie cutter, stamp out cookies as close together as possible and transfer them to a baking sheet 1-inch apart.
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8
Bake the cookies in the center of the oven until lightly browned, 18 to 20 minutes.
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9
Let cool slightly, then transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.
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10
Repeat with the remaining disks of dough.
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11
Gather and reroll all of the dough scraps; stamp out and bake more cookies.
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12
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy.
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13
Add the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar and whisk until smooth.
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14
Pour some of the icing into several small bowls and stir in food coloring; cover the bowls with plastic wrap.
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15
Add a few drops of water to the white icing to thin it slightly so it will glaze the cookies evenly.
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16
Using a pastry brush, coat all of the cookies with the white glaze.
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17
Let the glaze dry completely.
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18
Transfer the colored icings to piping bags fitted with tiny tips (or to sturdy, small, resealable plastic bags with a tiny bit of a corner snipped off) and pipe designs over the cookies.
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19
Let the icing dry completely before serving.
