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1
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
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2
Beat the butter and both sugars in another medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.
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3
Add the eggs and vanilla mixing until fully incorporated.
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4
Slowly add the flour mixture, and continue beating just until the dough comes together, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
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5
Divide dough in half, pat into disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
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6
Generously flour a clean work surface.
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7
(For a nice, even layer of flour, lightly sift flour over the work surface.)
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8
Gently roll chilled dough about 1/4-inch thick.
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9
Cut into desired shape using a cookie cutter, working quickly enough so dough remains chilled.
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10
If dough gets too soft, refrigerate on a lined baking sheet until firm again, about 30 minutes.
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11
Transfer cut cookies to un-greased baking sheets, leaving about 1-inch between cookies.
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12
Refrigerate the formed cookies for at least 30 minutes.
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13
Lightly dust off excess flour with a dry pastry brush.
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14
(Excess dough can be pressed into a disk, chilled and rerolled.)
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15
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bake the cookies, until the bottoms are golden, about 12 to 15 minutes depending on shape.
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16
Cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to transfer to a rack to cool.
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17
Decorate as desired and serve.
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18
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
