PREPARE THE COOKIE DOUGH

1. Whisk together the gluten-free 1:1 flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix to combine.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until a cohesive dough forms.
5. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

BAKE THE COOKIES

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to set at room temperature to soften slightly while the oven preheats.
3. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough one disk at a time to 1/4-inch thickness. Flour the surface of the dough and beneath the dough as needed and rotate the dough periodically to prevent sticking.
4. Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes and place on the prepared baking sheet. The dough can be rerolled if needed to get enough cookies to fill the baking sheet.
5. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 8-10 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Repeat the rolling out/baking process with the second disk of dough to fill the second cookie sheet.

MAKE THE ROYAL ICING

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and meringue powder.
2. Add 8 tbsp of water and the vanilla extract. Use an electric hand mixer on low to mix together for 1 minute and then increase the speed to medium for an additional 2-3 minutes. The mixture should be smooth, glossy, and slightly thickened. Avoid overmixing as this can cause air bubbles.
3. Adjust the icing to reach the correct consistency: Lift the beater and drizzle the icing back into the bowl. The lines should disappear completely in about 10-15 seconds. If the lines disappear too quickly, add more powdered sugar 1 tbsp at a time. If the lines are taking too long to disappear/don’t disappear completely add more water 1 tsp at a time.
4. Divide the icing between 6 small bowls.
5. Reserve one of the bowls of icing for the writing. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the icing and then cover with foil. This icing can be left at room temperature for 24-48 hours.
6. Tint the other five bowls of icing with gel food coloring. Add the food coloring a little at a time by placing a small amount on a toothpick until the desired color is reached (aim for soft pastel colors).

DECORATE THE COOKIES

1. Place a #3 round piping tip on a piping bag and set aside (a #4 piping tip would also work!).
2. Transfer all five bowls of colored icing into separate piping bags and snip a small opening off of each piping bag when ready to use.
3. Insert one color bag at a time into the piping bag with the piping tip attached, pushing it down so it fits snuggly inside the piping tip (this will allow you to swap the colors easily without changing the piping tip between colors).
4. Pipe an outline just inside the edge of each heart cookie. Then fill the outlined area by piping the icing in a back and forth motion until the surface is covered (it won’t look smooth at first but will slowly begin to settle and blend together). Use a toothpick to smooth out/help distribute the icing and pop any air bubbles if needed.
5. Swap out the colors as needed until all of the cookies have been outlined and flooded.
6. Allow the cookies to dry uncovered at room temperature for 6-8 hours or overnight, until the surface is completely firm and matte before adding the lettering. The cookies can be placed uncovered in the refrigerator to speed up the drying process if needed.
7. When ready to pipe the lettering, remove the foil and plastic wrap from the reserved bowl of icing and use the red gel food coloring to tint the icing red.
8. Then thicken the icing by stirring in additional powdered sugar 1 tsp at a time until the consistency is similar to soft toothpaste.
9. Place the icing into a piping bag with a #1 round piping tip (a #1.5 would work too) and pipe conversation heart phrases on the cookies (XOXO, BE MINE, HUGS, LOVE, CUTIE, BFF, KISS, BABE, SWEET, etc). If the icing is not flowing easily or is cracking, add more water. If the lettering is not sitting on top of the cookie or is spreading, add more powdered sugar.