.25cupshorteningyou can omit the shortening and use all butter if preferred
1cupgranulated sugar
2largeeggsat room temperature
1teaspoonpure vanilla extract
2.5cupsall-purpose flour
1teaspoonbaking powder
1teaspoonfine sea salt
Instructions
Beat the butter, shortening, eggs, and vanilla together in a large bowl.
Blend in flour, baking powder, and salt.
Cover or wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
When ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Cut the dough in half, set the other half off to the side, and roll the dough 1/8th-inch thick on a lightly floured surface.
Cut into desired shapes making sure to keep the cuts as close as possible.
Remove the excess dough and carefully remove the cut-outs. Place on the prepared baking sheets and sprinkle with sugar and/or sprinkles, if using. Leave plain if you will be frosting your cookies.
Bake for 6 – 8 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. Do Not over bake your cookies unless you like crunchy cookies!
Remove cookies from the baking sheet and place on a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
Notes
If your cookies are thicker than 1/8th inch they will take longer to bake, so keep an eye on them!
My cookies took 6 minutes to cook, 7 minutes was darker than I wanted.
Once you have cut out your shapes, roll unused dough into a ball and set aside. Continue cutting shapes out of the remaining fresh dough. Re-roll all of the used dough together and cut out additional shapes. The more your roll your dough, the tougher your cookies will be so keep those cuts close together to minimize your scraps.
Nutrition Facts do not include frosting/glaze/sugar toppings.