Preparation

• In a bowl, combine soft butter and sugar, working them until smooth.
  Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla flavor.
  Incorporate the sifted flour with a pinch of baking powder and knead quickly.
  Color the dough with the green coloring and form a compact shortcrust. You can simplify the operation by kneading in the stand mixer: place all ingredients in the bowl and mix at low speed with the paddle attachment until the dough forms.

  This shortcrust does not require rest times so you can divide it into parts and have fun coloring it with gel food dyes.

  

• Roll out the shortcrust to a few millimeters thick and, with the cookie cutters, cut out your preferred shapes.
  To create my Grinch-themed cookies, I used the green shortcrust for the base and the red shortcrust to cut only the hat.
  Separately prepare the royal icing: mix the egg white with the powdered sugar and a few drops of lemon using a fork. I indicated an indicative amount of powdered sugar, but add as much as needed to achieve a thick consistency that allows you to draw with the piping bag using a fine nozzle.
  With the icing, I decorated the hat and created the Grinch’s eyes. To define the expression, I used melted dark chocolate: I broke it into pieces, melted it in the microwave, and then used it again with a piping bag and a thin nozzle.
  If you don’t have a fine nozzle, you can make a tiny cut at the tip of the piping bag to achieve a precise line.