Sugar Cookies without Baking Powder or Soda

The dough:

1. In a mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, add softened butter and sugar. Cream the butter and sugar until the butter has incorporated and the texture is airy and fluffy.
2. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until the egg has incorporated into the mixture and you have a smooth batter.
3. Make sure to not over-pack the flour when measuring. Add the flour and salt, and mix just until the flour is mixed into the buttery mixture.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or remove the cookie dough from the bowl onto a large piece of plastic wrap and wrap it. Place it in the refrigerator for the dough to chill for 1 hour, up to overnight.

The cookies:

1. Remove the dough from the fridge. For easier rolling, divide the dough in half.
2. Place the oven rack in the middle position if baking one cookie sheet at a time or position two racks as close to the middle. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper, or by lightly flouring the surface, to about ¼-inch for thinner cookies to ½-inch.
4. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes and place them directly onto the prepared baking sheet.
5. Knead the dough a few times to incorporate the trims, re-roll the dough, and cut out the remaining cookies.

Baking:

1. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, one baking sheet at a time. If baking two baking sheets at once, set a timer for 7 minutes, swap the position of the baking trays, and flip the baking sheets front to back for even cooking. Continue baking for the remaining time.
2. Remove the baking tray from the oven and let it cool down on the counter for 5-10 minutes. Then, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to fully cool down before frosting.