✓ In a clean bowl whisk the powdered sugar and egg whites together until smooth.

✓ Add water a teaspoon at a time, stirring until the mixture is thick but pipeable.

✓ Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the icing rest for 10 minutes to release bubbles.

✓ Stir the rested icing quickly; test the flow by lifting the whisk – it should form a smooth ribbon.

✓ If the icing is too thick, add a few drops of water; if too runny, sift in additional powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time.

✓ For a glossy finish, whisk in a pinch of cornstarch.

✓ Divide the icing into separate bowls for each color you plan to use.

✓ Add a tiny amount of gel food coloring to each bowl and stir until the color is uniform; test on a scrap piece of cookie and adjust as needed.

✓ Fit a piping bag with a small round tip, fill it with red icing, and pipe a small circle in the center of each cookie.

✓ Drag the tip outward in a spiral motion to create a heart swirl, then finish with a tiny heart shape using pink icing.

✓ For a rose‑petal pattern, load a piping bag with pink icing and a star tip, then pipe overlapping teardrop shapes along the cookie edge and highlight edges with a brush dipped in white icing.

✓ After the base icing has set, sprinkle multicolored or heart‑shaped sprinkles over the surface; tap the tray gently to settle them.

✓ If using a cookie cutter as a stencil, place the cutter on a flat cookie, pipe contrasting icing through the opening, then lift the cutter to reveal a crisp outline.

✓ Allow all decorations to dry for at least 10 minutes before handling or storing.