Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Cream together the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer for a full 3 minutes.

Scrape sides and add in vanilla and egg. Mix until combined.

Add flour and baking powder to the bowl. Mix slowly at first, gradually getting faster until the dough comes together. The texture should be like Playdoh. Add a little flour or water if needed to get it to a soft, pliable consistency.

Turn out onto a floured surface. Use a rolling pin and roll until about ¼ inch thick. (The cookies will not rise while baking, they will not get thinner while baking. Roll out to your desired FINISHED thickness.)

Use cookie cutters and cut out desired shapes. Transfer the cookies to a silicone lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 6-8 minutes or until the centers are puffy and no longer glossy. Pull the cookies out of the oven BEFORE they start turning brown. If they turn brown, the cookie will be dry and ‘crackery’ instead of soft and chewy.

Allow the cookies to cool on the pan while making the frosting.

To make the frosting, cream together the butter and shortening until smooth.

Alternate adding 1 cup of powdered sugar and a little bit of milk to bring the powdered sugar together with the butter mixture.

Repeat until all powdered sugar has been incorporated.

Mix in the vanilla extract thoroughly.

You can now adjust the thickness of the frosting by adding more milk, if needed.

Color the frosting with food coloring, if desired, and then decorate the cooled sugar cookies.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Enjoy!