• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large mixing bowl, (a stand mixer is ideal). Cream together the butter and sugars until completely combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well. Add vanilla. Mix in the flour two cups at a time, along with the baking powder and salt. Add the remaining flour and mix until the dough is smooth.

  Dust the counter with a mixture of flour and powdered sugar. Roll the dough out to approximately ¼" thick. Cut the dough into shapes. Place onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Don't over brown them, just until the edges are set and slightly browned.

  To get the beet juice for the food coloring, I just chop up and boil one beet with barely enough water to cover the bottom half of the beet. I boiled it for about ten minutes until the water was nearly gone. Then after the beet is cool, I squeeze all of the beet liquid into the pan using a coffee filter.

Icing

• Measure two cups of sifted powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Add 1-2 Tbs of milk. Stir until the consistency is smooth and spreadable. You don't want it too runny, but not too thick either. A bit thicker than honey is perfect! Add in a few drops of your beet coloring until you reach the desired color.