Eggless sugar cookies (Christmas cookies)

• Ingredients: 
  
  1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
  1 cup white sugar
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
  3 cups all-purpose flour
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  1 tablespoon plus 
  1teaspoon baking powder
  Optional: cookie decorations such as frosting, sprinkles and sanding sugar 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Preparation:
  
  
  1. Heat oven to 350 F. Using an electric mixer, cream butter, and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and milk and beat until well mixed.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix this into the wet ingredients until combined.
  3. At first, the dough will appear crumbly but will come together and stick if squeezed with hands. It should be somewhat dry. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for least 1 hour before rolling.
  4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Using a spatula, gently lift shapes onto a baking sheet. (Alternatively, so as not to distort the shape of the cookies, you can place parchment paper on the baking sheet, roll out dough and cut directly on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Just remove the dough scraps and bake.)
  5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool slightly on baking sheet, then use a spatula to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  6. Frost or decorate cooled cookies as desired.