Rolled Sugar Cookies and Buttery Decorator Icing

I think it's nice for every baker to have a simple iced sugar cookie in her arsenal. This recipe originally called for 1 cup of butter, but I've found that by substituting 1/2 a cup of butter for shortening, I get cookie dough that is a bit more pliable than the original. Thus, I have fewer cookies that may break during the rolling and handling process.

Ingredients

cookies:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening, room temperature

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

icing:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup shortening, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 cups powdered sugar

2 to 4 tablespoons milk

Directions

In a large bowl, combine cup sugar, butter, shortening, milk, vanilla, and egg; blend well. Add flour, baking powder, and salt, mix well. Cover in plastic and refrigerate one hour for easier handling, or cool in the freezer for ten to fifteen minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. On a floured surface, roll out 1/3 of dough at a time to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut dough with a floured cookie cutter and place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 5 to 9 minutes or until edges are goldened. Quickly remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool before decorating.

While cooling, prepare the icing in a large bowl. Beat butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and salt; mix well. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in enough milk at high speed until light and fluffy and of desire spreading consistency. Food coloring can be added to the icing for additional decorating detail.

Frost cookies and enjoy!