Spiced Holiday Sugar Cookies

Directions

1. To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined and there are no butter chunks. Add the egg, egg yolk, flour, Montana Mex seasoning, baking powder, and sea salt in that order. Mix on low until combined into a smooth dough.
2. Form the dough into a disk and wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thick. Cut out cookies with a vintage truck and tree cutter. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheets.
6. To make the truck icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites and whisk on low/medium until they become frothy. Slowly add in the sifted powdered sugar and continue to whisk gradually increasing the speed to high. Whisk until the icing is white and glossy.
7. Transfer the icing to a piping bag with Ateco tip #4. Pipe a boarder around the truck to outline the truck and door. Add the icing back into the mixing bowl and add a little bit of water to the remaining icing, so it’s a little runny. This is now a flood icing. Transfer to a piping bag with no tip, but a small hole. Add a bit of the flood icing into each section and let it flood to the boarder. If it’s a little thick, my trick is to use a chopstick to help spread it out.
8. Add the icing back into the mixing bowl and add 1/2 teaspoon activated charcoal and mix to combine. Transfer this to a piping bag with a small hole. Add the grey flood icing into the window section of the truck.
9. Add the icing back into the mixing bowl and add 2 teaspoons of activated charcoal and mix to combine into the black icing. Transfer to a piping bag with Ateco tip #6. Pipe a boarder around the bottom of the wheels. Then pipe a door handle. Then flood the wheels with the remaining black icing.
10. To make the Christmas tree icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and green dye. Mix on low until combined, then speed mixer up to high and mix for 1 minute or until light and fluffy.
11. Transfer the icing to a piping bag with Ateco tip #30. Pipe small dollops of green icing onto the tree section of the cookie.
12. Top with nonpareils.