Sugar Cookies from Scratch

2/3 c butter

2 c white flour

1 egg

3/4 c sugar

1 tbsp milk

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

dash of salt

Beat butter with electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add about half of the flour, the egg, sugar, milk, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Beat till thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover, chill for 3 hours. (If you are in a hurry and want to make these right away, just add a little more flour until the dough is easy to handle instead of refrigerating.) Refrigerate one half while working with the first half.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about a 1/4 of an inch thick. Most recipes tell you even thinner but I like thick sugar cookies otherwise they are falling apart too easily especially in little hands. Dipping cookie cutters first into flour cut out desired shapes. Use a BBQ spatula to transport them to cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 375 for 7-8 min till the centers have puffed up and the edges are firm. If you cook them till lightly browned they will be too hard....you want them to stay the same color and not change color. Cool on a rack. Cool completely before frosting (a few hours).

If using medium to large cutters, this recipe makes approx. 2 doz.