Basic Sugar Cookies

Recipe*:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (or Earth Balance)

3/4 cups granulated sugar

1.2 cup confectioners' sugar

2 large eggs

1 1.2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-sized bowl.

Beat the butter and both sugars in another medium-sized bowl with an electric mixer (or use a Kitchen Aid) on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (appx. 30 seconds). Add eggs and vanilla, mixing until fully incorporated. Slowly add the flour mixture and continue beating until dough comes together, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide dough in half, pat into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours).

Generously flour a clean work surface. Gently roll chilled dough about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters, working as quickly as possible so that the dough remains chilled. If dough gets too soft, refrigerate on a lined baking sheet until firm again (appx. 30 mins).

Transfer cut cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet, leaving appx. 1 inch between cookies. Refrigerate the formed cookies for at least 30 minutes. (Excess dough can be pressed into a disk, chilled, and rerolled.)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake the cookies until the bottoms are golden, appx. 12 - 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to transfer to rack. Cool completely on rack. Cover with Basic Frosting as seen in the Lemon-Raspberry Cake or Cupcakes recipe (I recommend not adding any of the optional additions seen in the recipe, but rather sticking to just the frosting) or Dairy-Free Basic Butter Frosting.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

*This recipe is from Food Network.