Instructions: Soften butter. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg, zest and vanilla extract and beat until blended.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix until incorporated. Add water, a few drops at a time, if necessary, until dough starts to come away from sides of bowl.

Scrape dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and use the wrap, not your fingers, to press dough together to form a thick, flat disk. Wrap well and refrigerate at least 2 hours but preferably no longer than 3.

Place two oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter two cookie sheets or line with parchment or silicone baking sheets.

Non-stick cookie sheets also may be used.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness for smaller cookies and closer to 1/4 inch for very large cookies. Cut shapes with cutters. With an angled metal spatula or pancake turner, transfer cookies to prepared cookie sheets. Reroll and cut any scraps, chilling first, if necessary.

Bake 8-12 minutes for smaller cookies - 12 to 15 minutes for larger - until cookies begin to brown around edges. Be careful to bake large cookies thoroughly. For even baking, rotate cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking.

Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool before decorating.

Icing glaze
1 egg white OR 1 tablespoon meringue powder and 2 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

Lightly whisk egg white or meringue powder and water with lemon juice in a bowl. Gradually whisk in confectioners sugar until mixture has a smooth texture and is the consistency of pouring cream. (You may not need all the sugar.)

Cover surface of icing with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming before you are ready to use it.

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