I have used this recipe countless times over the past 36 years to make frosted cutout cookies. It isn't fussy to mix together, rolls out easily without crumbling, and its flavor and texture rivals that of the best bakeries. The frosting is thick and fluffy creating a beautiful base for decorative toppings.
Cutout Cookie Dough
2 cups sifted flour
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp milk
Sift (or whisk) first three ingredients together. Cream butter, vanilla, and sugar together; add egg and beat until fluffy. Blend in milk. Add dry ingredients gradually mixing well. Chill dough 3 to 4 hours. Roll on floured surface 1/8” thick. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on lightly buttered (or parchment-lined) cookie sheet. Bake at 400° for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Frost with Vanilla Butter Frosting.
Vanilla Butter Frosting
(1/2 recipe is just enough to frost one recipe Cutout Cookies.)
1/3 cup soft butter
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla
About 2 tbsp milk
Blend butter and sugar. Stir in vanilla and milk; beat until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency. Fills and frosts two 8 or 9-inch layers or a 9x13 cake. To fill and frost three 8” layers, use ½ cup butter, 4 ½ cups powdered sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, and about 3 tbsp milk.