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1
Whisk together the measured flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to aerate and break up any lumps; set aside.
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2
Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
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3
With the mixer running, gradually add the sugar and mix until the butter is lighter in color, about 1 minute total.
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4
Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle with a rubber spatula.
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5
Whisk together the egg and vanilla in a small bowl.
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6
Return the mixer to medium speed, add the egg mixture, and mix until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
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7
Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.
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8
Turn the mixer to low speed, gradually add the reserved flour mixture, and mix until just incorporated, about 1 minute total.
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9
Scrape the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and pat it into a 1-inch-thick disk.
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10
Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
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11
When youre ready to bake the cookies, heat the oven to 375 degrees F and arrange the racks to divide the oven into thirds.
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12
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
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13
Flour a work surface and a rolling pin.
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14
Unwrap the dough and set the plastic wrap aside.
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15
Place the dough disk on the work surface and lightly dust both sides with flour.
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16
Roll out the dough to a 3/16- to 1/4-inch thickness, frequently dusting the work surface and using an offset or flat spatula to gently slide under and release any dough that sticks to the counter.
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17
Make one final pass under the dough with the spatula, then use the desired cookie cutters to cut out the cookies (no need to flour the cookie cutters).
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18
Remove the dough scraps from around the cookies and set them aside.
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19
Using a flat spatula, transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least a 1/2 inch of space between them.
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20
Form the scraps into a flat disk, wrap it in the reserved plastic, and refrigerate.
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21
Place both sheets in the oven and bake for 5 minutes.
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22
Rotate the baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom and bake until the edges of the cookies are just starting to brown, about 5 to 6 minutes more.
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23
Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies sit on the sheets for about 1 minute.
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24
Using the flat spatula, remove the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely.
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25
Let the baking sheets cool, reserving the parchment, then repeat rolling, cutting, and baking the dough scraps.
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26
Decorate as desired.
