The recipe I finally found success with was by Wilton. The original recipe calls for almond extract. While this is a gorgeous nutty flavor, some may not care for it and when making it for nut-sensitive friends I modify the recipe.
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter , softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
I also don't put salt in my cookies. Some will say that this effects the rise on the cookies, but I have found that it isn't necessary. Preheat your oven to 400F. Gather un-greased cookie sheets.
Begin with room temperature butter. Cream the butter and sugar together until they are just barely mixed. I have found that if you over stir this step you add too much air to your batter and the cookies spread. Mix in the egg and vanilla, again just stirring enough to incorporate. Then add in the flour in small amounts. Just before the mix comes together put your spoon aside and press the dough together with your hands. This will help give the cookie a flaky consistency (like shortbread cookies). Separate into two balls, this makes it more manageable once rolled out, you will need to use all the dough - it does not refrigerate well. On a well floured surface and with a well floured rolling pin, roll out the dough until 1/4" thick. Flour your shaped cutter of choice and cut dough. Press together scraps and re-roll. Bake cookies for 5 minutes. Cool cookies.
Be sure to cool your cookies completely. If they are even the least bit warm your icing will run off and make a huge mess.
Blissfully Domestic provided me with the most successful recipe for icing the cookies. When making the "flooding" icing (the icing that covers the entire cookie) be sure to add VERY small amounts of water. The icing should barely run off your spoon to flood. I found that to coat the cookie but be thick and opaque you'll need to place some icing on the cookie and gently encourage the icing around the cookie with your spoon to fill it. When I made the icing runny enough to "flow" on the cookie it was much too thin, and soaked into the cookie. If you find that your icing is too runny using your sifter, sift in small spoonfuls of powdered sugar until it is back to the right consistency.
For the white cookies with green clovers you will need to work with the icing while wet. After lining the cookie with thick royal icing, flood the cookie with thinner icing. Then pipe in the thick green trim color into four small dots. Then while still wet use a toothpick to drag the green icing into center to form the cover shape. The first few might be a bit abstract but you will soon get the hang of it and have gorgeous cookies.
Happy Baking!
