In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder at low speed until combined. Slowly add 6 tablespoons warm water and vanilla, beating until smooth, about 1 minute. Increase mixer speed to medium, and beat until stiff, 4 to 5 minutes.
Divide icing into 3 bowls, about 1 cup into each bowl.
For gray icing, dip a toothpick into black gel food coloring, pulling out about a rice grain size amount of color. Swirl toothpick into one bowl of icing. Stir together until a uniform color is reached.
For yellow icing, add 4 drops of yellow liquid food coloring to second bowl of icing. Stir together until a uniform color is reached.
Slowly add remaining water to bowls of icing by teaspoon amounts. The desired consistency is reached when a spatula is lifted out of the icing and it runs of in a steady stream.*
Notes
*If cookies are too hard to pull out of the icing or excess icing doesn’t drip of easily, then add more water. If there are a lot of bubbles on the surface of the cookies, then add more water.
Recipe by Southern Lady Magazine at https://southernladymagazine.com/heavenly-sugar-cookies-recipe/